As a young company, Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (OTCQB: GIGL) frequently has its eye on smart, continuous growth. Over the course of the last year, the company streamlined its operations, markedly improved its margins and increased year-over-year sales. This year, Giggles N’ Hugs intends to build on its 2015 achievements by taking advantage of even more opportunities to invest in its growth.

Giggles N’ Hugs occupies a desirable position in the restaurant world. It is the first restaurant operator to bring together high-end, organic food with active, cutting-edge play and entertainment for children. It owns and operates one restaurant in the Westfield Mall in Century City, another in the Westfield Topanga shopping center in Woodland Hills, and a third in the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California. Due to their proximity to Hollywood, the Giggles N’ Hugs restaurants count among their clientele many of America’s celebrity kids and parents, including Dennis Quaid, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ellen Pompeo. Owing to their location, these restaurants have a remarkable ability to generate foot traffic.

Likewise, the experience that Giggles N’ Hugs offers in each of its restaurants is a hard-to-resist draw. Every location offers an upscale, adult- and kid-friendly atmosphere with a dedicated, custom-made 2,000 square-foot play area that children aged 10 and younger tend to love. All-day activities (e.g. karaoke and face painting) and nightly entertainment (e.g. magic and puppet shows) are included in the company’s offerings. Plus, families that wish to host special occasions for their kids can hire Giggles N’ Hugs to throw one of its popular themed parties in their homes or at one of the company-owned restaurants.

Giggles N’ Hugs’ three locations are said to be three of the many reasons for the company’s success – and investing in more locations seems to be a great path going forward. A short while ago, the company engaged Chardan Capital, an investment bank, in its growth efforts. Giggles N’ Hugs tasked the bank with seeking out and raising capital, so it could expand to additional locations throughout the U.S.

A second, major growth initiative that the company is considering is the launch of a vast franchising program. Over the years, Giggles N’ Hugs has received numerous inquiries from interested parties looking to replicate its concept and success around the world. It has caught the eye of several of the nation’s largest mall landlords, including Westfield Corp. (OTC: WEFIF), which has offered its entire portfolio of malls for Giggles N’ Hugs to consider for its future locations. Westfield, in particular, is also offering the company a tenant allowance that would noticeably cut opening and rent costs, a very attractive proposition.

In building on recent achievements and promising opportunities, Giggles N’ Hugs seems well-placed to execute its 2016 growth initiatives.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Roll-ups are back now that Bernard Findley, chief executive officer of Halitron, Inc. (OTC: HAON), is in the driver’s seat. Making its first appearance back in the glorious nineties, the rollup, as a strategy, has had many successes. One such success is reported in the Wharton School Entrepreneurship Blog in an article titled ‘Why I love Rollups’ (http://dtn.fm/T9bec). Penned by Richard Perlman, executive chairman of ExamWorks Group, Inc. (NYSE: EXAM), it tells the story of how ExamWorks, now the global leader in the independent medical exam (IME) industry, was built using roll-ups. IME companies examine claimants for insurance companies and other third parties to establish the veracity of workers’ compensation, automobile accident, disability and general liability claims.

A 2012 story with the headline ‘Roll up for a ride rich in risk and reward’ (http://dtn.fm/027mH) in the Financial Times touts ‘the Floridian entrepreneur Wayne Huizenga’ as ‘the American master of roll-ups’. Huizenga cofounded Waste Management (NYSE: WM), Blockbuster Video and AutoNation (NYSE: AN). Other roll-ups, such as Fone Zone, ‘created significant shareholder value’, according to a report titled ‘Key Structuring Issues in Industry Roll-ups’ (http://dtn.fm/D2w8d) by the law firm Deacons. Fone Zone buys and sells used mobile phones.

A roll-up amalgamates a number of small companies into one with the aim of achieving economies of scale. Likely targets will have many areas where efficiencies may be engineered, such as increased purchasing power with suppliers, a lower cost of capital when dealing with the capital markets, spreading management costs over a larger revenue base, combining warehousing and logistical capabilities, etc. The list goes on. Roll-ups, of course, are part of the larger mergers and acquisitions (M&A) landscape and have always been regarded as Wall Street’s most glamorous business.

Last year was a record year for M&A. CNBC reports (http://dtn.fm/AlrN5) statistics from industry analysts Dealogic, which showed ‘globally, M&A activity reached a volume of $4.9 trillion, beating the record of $4.6 trillion set in 2007.’ According to the WSJ in ‘2015 Becomes the Biggest M&A Year Ever’ (http://dtn.fm/BEWp8), ‘the largest health-care transaction – and second-biggest deal on record – was announced in November: Pfizer Inc.’s roughly $160 billion merger with Allergan PLC.’ Also ‘the biggest beverage deal, was Anheuser-Busch InBev NV’s $108 billion acquisition of SABMiller PLC’ and ‘the largest technology acquisition in history’ was Dell Inc.’s $67 billion deal for EMC Corp.

CEO Bernard Findley knows this side of business. He has had over 20 years’ experience working with small to mid-size businesses, both in devising growth strategies and in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He has been involved in ‘orchestrating a roll-up of 16 bankrupt, insolvent, and distressed brands’ which were later sold. For over a decade, as founder, partner and chief restructuring officer of 4S Management, LLC, he was responsible for acquisitions and the strategic management of portfolio companies.

Halitron, Inc. is an equity investment holding company with an acquisition roll-up business model. The company targets two types of acquisitions. First, it acquires bankrupt, distressed or insolvent companies inexpensively and then proceeds to “roll” their assets into its infrastructure. Second, the company acquires profitable companies, with a strategic, marketing or operational fit, at a multiple of EBITDA ranging from two to four times.

For more information, visit www.halitroninc.com

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We live in a business world characterized by an immediate, never-ceasing deluge of information. A veritable tsunami of opinions, perspectives, scoped analysis, and technical speculation hits us in the face every hour of the day, seven days each week, for 365 days out of the year. On any given subject, you name the position and chances are that someone, touted as an expert in some circle or circles, has argued it as if it were fact or a foregone conclusion. But history is written by the contrarians, by underdogs and innovators who understood the raw force of demand present in the markets of their time, and assembled the requisite capital, expertise, materials, and technology to execute.

While the talking heads have been busy this week panning diabetes and cancer-focused inhalable therapeutics, developer MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ: MNKD), after an EPS miss for Q4 that shrugged off the Zacks Research consensus of only a $0.05 loss, it is important to look at the bigger picture. The big picture here is about the core technologies and how they can address unmet and underserved demand in the market. It’s a long-term success story in the making and it is a good one. It’s not just under reportage of how significant French biopharma giant Sanofi’s (NYSE: SNY) marketing agreement pullout in January was in terms of overall financial performance for the company and its commercial success with its novel inhalable insulin product Afrezza, or that to many observers Sanofi was clearly dragging their feet with marketing efforts, it’s that MannKind is far more than some one-trick pony.

Nevertheless, Afrezza is a damn good trick considering the projections for diabetes incidence rates worldwide, with seven million more patients per year added to the rolls, and the fact that both the drug and delivery mechanism are categorically different than anything that has come to market hitherto. Afrezza is an ultra-rapid-acting insulin in powder form created for primary use as a pre-meal adult insulin in type one and two diabetics, engineered to be used in conjunction with existing treatments in order to help squash post-meal blood spikes. While famous for being the first company daring enough to throw its hat in the inhalable insulin ring since the spectacular failure of Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) that culminated back in 2007’s Exubera market withdrawal, MannKind is also the company that engineered the Technosphere® formulation and drug delivery platform behind the efficacy of Afreeza (based on acid-induced self-assembly of fumaryl diketopiperazine molecules), an extremely versatile breath-powered drug delivery platform that allows for inhalable variants of indications currently available only via injection.

The capacity to formulate Technosphere microparticles from a wide range of drugs with varying physicochemical characteristics does far more for MNKD than to merely enable its inhaler-based delivery technologies, like the proprietary, small form factor (and therefore discrete), yet hugely efficient Dreamboat® inhaler (http://dtn.fm/6aXEI). This technology opens up the potential for MNKD to become a formulation and delivery mechanism powerhouse for numerous existing drugs. Technosphere microparticles present vastly improved bioavailability characteristics and avoid the common problem with many drugs, which experience dosage degradation in peripheral circulation. While simultaneously avoiding the hepatic (of or relating to the liver) first-pass effect typical in orally administered drugs (and most readily observable in drugs such as morphine), where a significant portion of the administered drug is lost before it ever reaches the target, due to intestinal and hepatic degradation of the dose. The highly efficient and versatile Technosphere platform is able to produce formulations which closely mimic the pharmacokinetics of intraarterial administration (injection directly into an artery), and also offers a bold new pathway for vehicle-controlled (much like a placebo, but with better data fidelity/feedback) clinical studies to be conducted using “blanks,” or Technosphere microparticles onto which no drug in the 500 to 140,000 Da range of molecular weight (note the breadth of molecular weight range) has been adsorbed.

Some intelligent analysts in the investment community have noted similar issues for MNKD’s flagship product that cropped up during the poor reception of Pfizer’s Exubera, such as the novelty of inhalable insulin for both doctors and insurers leading to slow adoption rates, as well as bureaucratic red tape that hindered uptake by users, even when they knew about and wanted to switch to an easier to use form of insulin. A few analysts have even speculated that the entrenched logistics behind the gargantuan diabetes care devices market, which is on track to hit nearly $11 billion in North America alone by 2019 (according to a recent report published by Mordor Intelligence) and includes glucose monitoring and delivery devices such as syringes, may even be actively sandbagging the emergence of an inhalable insulin, as it represents something of an end-run on much of the space. Whether or not Sanofi helped maintain the status quo and never had any intention of really getting Afrezza into the hands of what will likely be some 380 million diabetics by 2025, or whether the EPS consensus was faulty – one thing is certain: Afrezza has failed to make the impact that its ease of use, pharmacokinetics, and the glowing comments of its lucky recipients would otherwise indicate.

Management actually sees the Sanofi split as a plus, with MNKD regaining control of its baby and being able to give it the much needed tender loving care it requires marketing-wise, in order to ignite a revolution among diabetics at the point of purchase. Let’s not forget that inhalable insulin represents a sea-change for everyone in the healthcare ecosystem either, especially the end users, who have been conditioned to think about insulin as an injectable drug over countless decades. Afrezza only launched in February of 2015 and with lukewarm marketing efforts (including huge delays, direct-to-consumer ad vaporware, and allegations about a hiring freeze on sales reps for Afrezza), as well as the drug being somewhat hamstrung initially on the insurance side of the equation, it’s no wonder MannKind can’t wait to get their hands on the reigns again. The company has even launched a significant effort to master the sales approach and pricing strategy it will need to make Afrezza the blockbuster that management and its diehard investors have longed for.

But let’s not concern ourselves too long with the mystery as to why an inhalable insulin, which a majority of users generally felt helped them more readily address the lifestyle complications associated with administering diabetic medications, (whether because it was inhalable, the inhaler was tiny, or it allowed them to dose right at the table in a restaurant, etc.) failed to go viral – and get back to the core takeaway that most investors should be focused on: the intrinsic value of the company’s IP, and its current market position.

Greek poet and mercenary Archilochus once said that the “fox knows many tricks, but the hedgehog only one: one good one,” referring to the spiny mammals’ ability to curl itself into a ball of spikes as being somewhat superior to the complex trickery and cunning of the fox. It is an apt comparison for MannKind’s market position with Afrezza, but investors should be looking closely at the company’s underlying platform technologies for drug formulation and delivery, as well as things like the Receptor Life Sciences collaboration and license agreement, designed to exploit the company’s inhaled formulation technologies. Similarly, the retention of Michael Castagna (Pharm.D) as CCO, to spearhead the Afrezza commercialization campaign and liaise directly with CEO Pfeffer, speaks volumes about how seriously the company intends to leverage its exceptional market position in inhalable insulin. Former VP of Global Lifecycle Management and Global Commercial Lead for a nine-drug portfolio at biotech giant Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN), as well as Executive Director for Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (NYSE: BMY) immunology franchise during the launch and re-launch of its Orencia rheumatoid arthritis offerings, Castagna is by all accounts the right man to plant the Afrezza flag in spectacular fashion.

The EPS miss is logical given everything that transpired in late 2014 and during 2015, there is far more to the company than most talking heads consider and MNKD’s Technosphere dry powder delivery platform and formulation technologies could reshape the industry as we have known it, via patient-friendly, and needle-free devices for a wide variety of drugs, presented in ultra-rapid absorption form. But if you listen to the loudest voices who are screaming that the sky is falling all over again with Afrezza and that MNKD is doomed with its inhalable insulin play, you would think that the company’s flagship was all there is to this story. Naturally, many investors are quite often wed into a failed marriage of associations as a result of listening to such loud voices and end up struggling like muppets, ultimately weighed down by a dead-end momentum play portfolio.

Not knowing where to turn for accurate, over-the-horizon radar, which looks at the underlying fundamentals of a company, the vast majority of investors eventually become traders. They become caught up in the process of neurotically shaving points based on the latest buzz, never holding onto anything longer than the officially prognosticated, CNBC pundit consensus-verified sell-by date. This is probably why the smallcap and microcap space scares the hell out of so many people, especially when it comes to biopharma R&D plays whose ramp up phase is notoriously costly, which are really long-haul bets on the tech fundamentals in most cases (and let’s face it, the average talking head knows very little about biotechnology). Whether the sector big boys like it or not, we have crossed the Rubicon with inhalable insulin, and Afreeza is likely here to stay. The patients love it, it seems to help them regulate their glucose levels more easily, it’s easier to deploy, and it appeals to self-conscious consumers (or even those who simply prefer to be discreet). Reasons alone enough to keep Afreeza on the scene, but it is the efficacy of the underlying formulation technology when it comes to addressing post-meal spikes in a smoother fashion that will probably make it a late-game comeback kid.

Take a closer look for yourself, visit www.MannKindCorp.com

First Mining Finance Corp. (OTCQB: FFMGF) is a new “mineral bank” business concept created by Keith Neumeyer. The company’s business model is to acquire mineral assets that are currently trading at exceptionally low valuations before holding or banking these assets until the capital markets for commodities and mining improves. At that point, First Mining would add value for its shareholders by entering into agreements with other parties, which would move the projects forward through development or exploration while First Mining holds a residual interest in the project in question. The residual interest may be in the form of royalties, metal streams, minority interests or equity positions in the counterparty that is moving the project forward. Through recent acquisitions, First Mining now holds a portfolio of 21 mineral assets in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company will continue to aggressively acquire additional projects in geopolitically safe areas of the Americas.

Ultimately, the goal of First Mining is to have numerous projects generating cash flow followed by the remittance of proceeds to its shareholders in the form of dividends. The company is supported by First Majestic Silver, which is one of the world’s largest silver producers. The management team of First Mining has decades of experience in evaluating, exploring and developing mineral assets.

The management team at First Mining is led by Keith Neumeyer, who has an unparalleled track record which includes creating two world-class mining companies: First Quantum Minerals Ltd., which has now grown into one of the world’s largest copper producers, and First Majestic Silver Corp., which is one of the largest silver producers in the world. Neumeyer is of the view that the valuations of mineral assets are at or near all-time lows. This situation represents a unique opportunity for First Mining to acquire quality mineral assets at very low prices. The management and board of directors of First Majestic Silver support First Mining.

First Mining and Brionor Resources, Inc. recently announced, in a press release (http://dtn.fm/1G6xh), that the companies have entered into a purchase agreement pursuant to which First Mining has agreed to acquire the gold development property known as the “Pitt Gold Property” from Brionor for an aggregate purchase price of CDN$1.25 million, of which CDN$1 million will be satisfied through the issuance of 2,535,293 common shares of First Mining to Brionor, based on the 20-day VWAP, and the remaining CDN$250,000 will be paid in cash. The common shares issued to Brionor will be subject to a four-month hold period.

The Pitt Gold Property is located in the Abitibi Region of Quebec and is adjacent to Clifton Star Resources Inc.’s Duparquet Gold Project and Duquesne Gold Project. On June 11, 2011, Brionor announced a NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate for the Pitt Gold Property which, at a cut-off grade of 3.00 g/t gold, is estimated to have Indicated Resources of 600,000 tonnes grading 7.83 g/t gold (151,000 Au ounces) and Inferred Resources of 476,000 tonnes grading 6.91 g/t gold (106,000 Au ounces).

As announced on February 12, 2016 (http://dtn.fm/0bSHp), First Mining has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Clifton. Subject to receipt of regulatory and shareholder approval, the Clifton Acquisition is expected to close on or about April 8, 2016.

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

The SugarChecked app from Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) is doing what regulators haven’t been able to do: protect us from unwanted refined sugars. Public awareness of the toxic effect of refined sugars is increasing. In the online journal LadyLux, a feature headlined How to Break the Unhealthy Snack Cycle (http://dtn.fm/6mk9H), mentions SugarChecked and quotes Victoria Brodsky, head of nutrition for SugarChecked, as she talks about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. LadyLux covers luxury lifestyle for women and features articles on high fashion, luxury travel, beauty products, green lifestyle and philanthropy. The journal is read by over 150,000 unique readers every month.

SugarChecked identifies added sugars, artificial sweeteners, natural low-calorie sweeteners and sugar alcohols and is one of a suite of dietary restriction apps created by Content Checked. The company currently has two other apps. The first to be developed was ContentChecked, a smartphone application meant for use by those who suffer from food allergies and intolerances. The second was MigraineChecked, which is designed to give alerts on migraine triggers in food products. Content Checked Holdings, Inc.’s family of apps works by allowing users to scan products’ bar codes and determine if they are suitable for their diets. The app then offers users a list of healthier alternative products that are suitable for them to consume.

Together ContentChecked, MigraineChecked and SugarChecked have had over two million downloads, and 66 percent of users utilize the apps at least five times per week. CEO Kris Finstad is confident that this figure will soon increase. Last year, he sweetened his pot by converting approximately US $1.1 million of personal funds, advanced to the company, into shares of the company’s common stock.

For more information, visit www.contentchecked.com

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School’s out for the day, but what should you do with the kids? Time to come up with some fun, creative ways to keep the kids entertained until dinnertime. Of course, homework is waiting, but is it better to have kids start on it as soon as they get home, or should they blow off a little steam before settling in? Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (OTCQB: GIGL) has been voted the #1 spot for indoor after-school activities in the Los Angeles area.

It’s no secret that after-school activities do wonders for a child’s development. They are linked to improved social skills, grades, overall coordination, sense-of-self and relationships with adults other than mom and dad. Los Angeles-based Giggles N’ Hugs is a first-of-its-kind, award-winning family restaurant company that combines organic gourmet food with play elements for children, including 2500-square-foot play spaces in the middle of its restaurants.

After-school programs and activities also give kids a chance to be themselves, free of the structure they face at school. “Since kids spend their day primarily sitting down and following a schedule at school, when they get home it is important for them to have time to be creative, get moving and do something they enjoy,” says Kristin Fitch, CEO and co-founder of ZiggityZoom.

The vast majority of young people believe that kids are better off when their plates are full and they don’t have too much time to just hang out. What’s more, youngsters who participate in out-of-school activities typically perform better in school, as well as outside of the classroom. At the Giggles N’ Hugs play spaces, children can expect tons of activities and games while having fun on a giant pirate ship, sliding down slides, and diving into a ball pit. There are even monkey bars, a hopscotch course, and jungle gyms to effectively tire out kids before bedtime.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Lithium-ion batteries are common in home electronics. They are one of the most popular types of rechargeable batteries for portable electronics, with a high energy density, tiny memory effect and low self-discharge. Beyond consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries are also growing in popularity for military, electric vehicle and aerospace applications. For example, lithium-ion batteries are becoming a common replacement for the lead acid batteries that have been used historically for golf carts and utility vehicles. Instead of heavy lead plates and acid electrolyte, the trend is to use lightweight lithium-ion battery packs that can provide the same voltage as lead-acid batteries, so no modification to the vehicle’s drive system is required. Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) is an integrated energy storage solutions company focused on the design, development and manufacture of high-quality cells, batteries and power systems.

Oakridge Global’s innovative ‘Made in the USA’ product line includes multiple lithium-ion technologies and form factors that are optimized to address three high-demand target markets – including stationary and grid storage; motive applications, such as electric and hybrid electric fleet vehicles; and specialty applications, such as military, aerospace, marine, medical and telecom backup.

Pioneer work with the lithium battery began in 1912 under G.N. Lewis, but it was not until the early 1970s when the first non-rechargeable lithium batteries became commercially available. Lithium is the lightest of all metals, has the greatest electrochemical potential and provides the largest energy density by weight. Oakridge Global works on all types of lithium-based battery power systems. With lead acid batteries being gradually phased out around the world, lithium-based batteries are the batteries of today and of the future.

The global market for lithium ion batteries is a fast growing one that is expected to cross $30 billion by 2020, according to a report on the Market Research website (http://dtn.fm/uvKK3). Oakridge Global has indicated plans to expand its presence in a collection of markets throughout Europe and Asia as it continues to build upon its established product development and manufacturing infrastructure. The company will lean on the expertise of its proven management team – which includes well over a century of combined industry experience – as it looks to increase its share of the $12 billion domestic battery manufacturing industry.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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Greek yogurt, the thick, creamy, protein-packed dairy product, has stormed supermarket shelves in the U.S. The breakfast favorite’s astonishingly fast growth is epitomized by the success of Chobani — perhaps the best known brand. The company, which began selling Greek yogurt in 2007, saw its sales skyrocket from just over $3 million to more than $1.1 billion in its first five years. Today, Greek yogurt accounts for roughly half of all yogurt sales in the U.S., which is remarkable considering that it was essentially irrelevant less than a decade ago. Be Active Holdings, Inc. (OTC: JALA) is a manufacturer and marketer of Greek frozen yogurt under the Jala brand.

Be Active Holdings manufactures and sells low fat, low calorie, all natural probiotic-enriched Greek frozen yogurt under the trade name Jala. Its Greek frozen yogurt is packaged as low fat bars and pints, which are designed to appeal to both the health conscious and weight conscious consumer. Its proprietary Greek frozen yogurt is fat-free, a result of its proprietary recipe and the quality of the ingredients in the mix.

Be Active announced in a press release recently that Jala is now available at all 154 Shaw’s and Star Market locations in New England. Shaw’s is part of Albertsons, and this initial rollout is key to the company’s efforts to increase product distribution in the Northeast. Currently, there are five available product SKUs, including Jala’s chocolate and vanilla sandwiches.

In a news release, Be Active Holdings president Joseph Rienzi stated, “We are very excited to have Jala available to Shaw’s customers. Jala’s Greek frozen yogurt chocolate and vanilla sandwiches have been very well received from grocery customers throughout the northeast. We are thrilled to have penetrated into Albertsons with this initial distribution with Shaw’s in the northeast. Albertsons nationally represents an amazing potential opportunity for Jala with its diversified network of 2,230 stores and 27 distribution facilities, across 34 states. Its national banners include Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Albertsons, ACME, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s, Star Market, Super Saver, United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos.”

Be Active Holdings is led by an experienced management team with a proven track record in the food and grocery space. The company’s founder and vice president, Sam Pugliese, was the founder and previous president of Skinny Cow ice cream brand, which was sold to Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) for $76 million.

Be Active Holdings has received distribution approval for five of its SKUs from Safeway, the second largest supermarket chain in North America. Be Active intends on working with Safeway to increase product distribution in the Northeast through Safeway’s 135 stores in Virginia and Maryland. Furthermore, Be Active recently expanded its existing distribution agreement with C&S Wholesale Grocers, the largest U.S. wholesale grocery distributor by revenue. C&S customers include Stop & Shop, Winn Dixie, Key Food, Foodtown, Piggly Wiggly and Giant stores. Be Active was able to achieve “crossroads” vendor status with C&S, which allows for unlimited access into C&S warehouses with no slotting fees.

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

Connecticut-based NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC) is a development stage company working on what it considers to be the next great advance in immunotherapeutics: nanoviricide biomimetic technology.

A nanoviricide is a unique antiviral agent designed to fool a virus into attaching to it in the same way that a virus normally attaches to the receptors of a cell surface. Once the virus is attached, the nanoviricide wraps around the virus, causing the virus to lose its surface proteins, which are used to bind to cells. The nanoviricide goes on to dismantle and destroy the virus without immune system assistance. What virus a nanoviricide goes after is programmed into the nanoviricide.

The company is developing virus-specific nanoviricide drug candidates against influenza, HIV/AIDS, cold sores and herpes infection, viral eye diseases, and dengue viruses, and its candidates are demonstrating high levels of drug effectiveness. Product candidates are based on TheraCour® technology, invented and developed by company president and founder Anil R. Diwan, PhD. The company holds an exclusive, worldwide license to this technology for its antiviral drugs. The technology is protected by two broad international patent applications that cover compositions of matter, processes of manufacture, methods of use, and fields of use. Additional patent applications are expected, and NanoViricides intends to patent each drug separately, as well.

NanoViricides works with independent researchers at leading academic, private, and government laboratories, performing tests against viral targets, and providing unbiased data on drug candidates. In addition to drug development, the company has put together a world-class team to design, build, and validate a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for the production of human clinical batches of nanoviricide drug substances.

For more information, visit www.NanoViricides.com

Arizona-based startup company Elio Motors Inc. (OTCQX: ELIO) represents a refreshingly different take on the changing American automotive market. Instead of wrestling with untested, high-priced technologies aimed at elite consumer markets, Elio is focused on the essential consumer basics of price and operational efficiency, taken to the extreme. It’s a bit like the approach of Henry Ford, who was smart enough to recognize the potential of a mass automotive market while other car makers produced expensive toys for the rich.

To Elio, the key to the marketplace is a set of parameters that, in spite of what the industry says, have not been fully respected or explored:

• Price (forget the $15,000 – $20,000 subcompact)
• Fuel Efficiency (forget 39 mpg)
• Style (forget “they all look alike”)

Elio is out to produce a truly modern commuter vehicle for the urban masses; a sleek hyper-efficient car that is safe, fun, and amazingly affordable to purchase and operate. The company realized that much of the driving being done today doesn’t require the family minivan or SUV. It’s about one or two people getting to work. Once the Elio team had fully accepted that fact, their research led them to the shocking conclusion that, using the latest and most sophisticated design and material capabilities, together with advanced organizational efficiencies, they could now produce a vehicle filling that very large market niche in a better way; a car that could get an unheard-of 84 miles to the gallon, while still only costing $6,800 to buy retail.

None of this revolution came easy. The company emphasizes that nothing is too small for engineering innovation. But the result is the potential to tap a vast market that has until now been improperly served. Elio is still in the startup stage, offering both investors and consumers a unique opportunity.

For more information, visit www.ElioMotors.com