iGambit, Inc. (OTCQB: IGMB) started as a software development, customer service, and technology licensing company. Since then, the company has taken a turn toward acquiring and strengthening technology companies by becoming a holding company, focusing its efforts on investing in small and medium sized companies in order to help them grow. In November 2015, the company announced the acquisition of ArcMail Technology, which now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of iGambit.

ArcMail Technology is a leading provider of email technology solutions for businesses of all sizes. The company works in partnership with its customers to address their needs. ArcMail Technology offers email archiving, archiving appliances, cloud based and physical hybrid gateways and virtual archiving software services, as well as fully-hosted archiving services.

iGambit is in the business of helping organizations grow. ArcMail chose to become an iGambit company because it believes iGambit is supported by excellent leadership, core values, and integrity. These fit well with ArcMail’s vision and mission statement, which it anticipates will allow it to grow more efficiently.

Since being acquired by iGambit, ArcMail Technology has been named one of CIOReview’s “20 Most Promising Enterprise Security Companies” of 2016, which is an annual list showcasing the most promising Enterprise Security Companies. In addition to this, the subsidiary was selected as one of the 50 most innovative companies to watch in 2016 by The Silicon Review.

iGambit’s vision is to acquire and develop small to medium sized businesses that are in the licensing or services industries. The company works on the strategy of facilitating the acquisition of partner companies by offering a range of professional experience and capital, enabling them to mature and increase their profitability.

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

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At the beginning of 2016, 43% of real estate agencies expected competition from non-traditional firms. Although this number was down 2% from 2015, a survey by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) (http://dtn.fm/Fx2Sb) found that 46% of agencies believe the competition from virtual firms is increasing, compared to a small 17% of agencies expecting competition from brick and mortar firms.

With this in mind, it is worth noting that the real estate industry is one of the slowest to adapt to this new digital age. The last few years can be seen as the first real phase of digital development within the real estate industry, as technology has played but a minimal role until now. Thanks to today’s growing technology, people in the real estate industry are able to make faster and more informed decisions.

Until now, the industry has believed in location. However, today people can access and accomplish more through the use of smartphones, computers, and other mobile devices. With technology companies such as Airbnb, people are becoming more accustomed to a sharing economy. According to an article by Wharton University of Pennsylvania (http://dtn.fm/M0Vl6), 86% of Americans believe the sharing economy they are now part of makes life more affordable, 83% say things are more convenient and efficient, and 63% believe it is more fun than engaging with traditional companies.

But why does the technology industry want to play a role in the real estate sector? The answer is simple. Real estate is one of the largest single assets in the United States. The sector is now worth approximately $50 trillion, with residential housing making up approximately $26 trillion of this. As a result, real estate companies are having to embrace the digital world quickly at the risk of letting technology-savvy companies take over.

To do this, real estate firms are having to implement cloud-based Big Data technologies to better serve their customers. eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) is a prime example. eXp Realty, the company’s real estate division, is a fully agent-owned cloud brokerage. The agents and brokers at EXPI work, train, strategize, collaborate, innovate, and build teams across North America from the comforts of home using the company’s cloud office environment.

EXPI believes that, with the advancements in technology today, real estate consumers are equipped with deeper knowledge and understanding than ever before. Many consumers today leverage the company’s cloud-based technology to buy and sell without the aid of brick and mortar offices. EXPI’s primary goal is to become “the first truly agent-owned, cloud-based, full service, global real estate brokerage company delivering around-the-clock access to collaborative tools and professional development for managing real estate brokers and agents.”

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

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The travel and hospitality industry is changing, with companies worldwide attempting to strengthen their positions within the industry by increasing consolidations, examples being hotels such as Marriott (NASDAQ: MAR), AccorHotels, and others. At the same time, other companies are focusing less on consolidation and more on incorporating new business models that meet consumer needs.

One growing area in the industry is the concept of sharing, facilitated by the efficient processing of business and consumer communication. Companies such as Airbnb, OpenTable, and Uber are focused on helping customers find what they need rather than offering their own brick and mortar facilities or other physical assets.

Next year is expected to be a growth year for this new sharing economy. The concept is simple: instead of having excess supply and/or demand, the sharing economy aims to keep supply and demand in balance. Companies worldwide will provide as much as the consumer needs when he/she needs it, with an emphasis on convenience. New business models ensure that the experience is as convenient as possible for the consumer. They are referred to as ‘market-makers’, because they control both supply and demand, which in turn has created a major move toward convenience that has been lacking in the industry.

To generate this cost and market effectiveness that is convenient for the consumer, companies are required to partner with the customer. The customer wants to be connected to his/her experience. Partnering with the customer means connecting with the customer. This not only allows the customer to participate in the design of his/her experience but also enables the companies to gather more feedback, which in turn can be shared with other customers.

Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI), a technology-driven travel company, offers travel solutions to every demographic through its booking engine, NextTrip.com. Through NextTrip, customers are able to choose from a range of transport options, accommodations, tours, and much more. Monaker has incorporated itself within the new sharing economy, where guests are able to make decisions based on their demographic, holiday requirements, time preferences, and, thanks to social media, other people’s experiences.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

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Before the opening bell, Laguna Blends, Inc. (CSE: LAG) (OTC: LAGBF) (Frankfurt: LB6A.F) took a significant step toward expanding market awareness of its hemp-based functional beverage products when it announced a new partnership with digital marketing experts ArDoMi Media Group and C&I Studios. The two firms are expected to collaborate on the creation of a marketing campaign highlighting both Caffe, Laguna’s instant hot coffee beverage, and Pro369, the company’s water soluble hemp protein product.

Through this campaign, Laguna Blends will look to amplify its brand visibility in target areas while simultaneously expanding the reach of its affiliate network into unexplored markets across North America. Initial production relating to the media campaign is currently scheduled to begin on October 7, 2016, in California.

“We continue to see increasing awareness and acceptance of the vast health benefits of hemp, and our goal at Laguna Blends is to elevate our marketing strategies to become a leading supplier of hemp and CBD products,” Stuart Gray, chief executive officer of Laguna, stated in this morning’s news release. “We are excited to partner with ArDoMi Media Group and C&I Studios to enhance our business profile and take the Laguna Blends brand to the next level.”

Both ArDoMi Media Group and C&I Studios have extensive track records in the digital marketing space, boasting a number of high profile clients across multiple industries. ArDoMi has previously planned, produced and executed marketing campaigns for clients such as Nike (NYSE: NKE), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), P&G (NYSE: PG) and Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), among others. Likewise, C&I Studios has worked with industry leaders such as Polaroid, Sony (NYSE: SNE), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and American Apparel.

In recent weeks, Laguna Blends has made considerable progress toward expanding market awareness of its growing affiliate network, and the upcoming media marketing campaign is expected to build on this headway. Notably, the company recently announced the launch of Cannaceuticals CBD skin care products to its affiliates in the United States, putting it on track to become a major player in the $121 billion global skin care industry in the coming years.

The Swiss-made skin care line features seven cannabidiol-based products, including an innovative facial serum that produced a 100 percent overall improvement to skin appearance in just two weeks in a recently completed clinical trial. By diversifying its offerings and turning toward additional branding and marketing efforts, Laguna Blends appears primed to build on the solid launch of its affiliate marketing network, which reported an impressive $105,000 in unaudited sales during its first 11 weeks.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) is a precision marketing machine. For six years, the corporation has been steeped in integrated marketing techniques, offering ways for companies to get to know their customers and competitors as well as they know themselves.

Moxian is a pioneer of novel social marketing and promotion platforms with a particular focus on Asian markets. From its head office in Shenzhen, China, the company has developed and delivered products and services that enable its merchant clients to manage advertising campaigns and promotions targeting potential customers.

Since 2010, Moxian has leveraged big data to create winning marketing solutions and encourage stable, sustainable growth. With constant, harmonious promotion and business development, Moxian steadily drives local merchants and users to its marketing platform while simultaneously pushing that platform to the mainstream areas of the Internet. Moxian’s platform is specially designed to attract new users to subscribe to it and to entice current users to return frequently. How does the company do this? It employs social media to encourage regular interactions between merchants and consumers.

Once Moxian drives merchants and consumers to its platform, it monitors and tracks their activity. The data collected from its database of users’ activities is in turn offered to and used by merchants who wish to study consumer behavior on the platform. In offering this option, Moxian has built a social customer relation management tool that allows business owners to engage in precision marketing.

With the guidance of its experienced management team and a set of wide-ranging business strategies, Moxian seems ready to take advantage of the significant market opportunities presented by the online-to-offline sector in China. As a growing number of merchants adopt its platform, merchant fees will likely offer a major source of repeat revenue for the company, which is also poised to earn additional revenue from the sale of advertising on its platform. All in all, the company’s multiple revenue sources, operating performance and growth initiatives are positioning it to advance even further.

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

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In the relatively short eight years since Airbnb was founded, the San Francisco-based company has connected more than 60 million guests with over two million accommodation listings around the world. Today, Airbnb holds an enviable position as the bellwether of the community marketplace, underwritten by a $30 billion valuation that demonstrates the incredible investor and consumer appetite for the home-sharing market.

Airbnb recently filed a Form D with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, announcing an equity deal in which the company raised approximately $555 million. This is likely part of the ongoing $850 million Series F round, as reported by Equidate (http://dtn.fm/s3imF), and brings Airbnb’s total fundraising to more than $3 billion.

What this means for small-cap travel booking company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) is that the investment community knows there is plenty demand to go around. Not only has Monaker developed a one-of-a-kind booking engine for lodging options, its model includes travel and entertainment booking features that should be turning heads in the investment community.

According to a draft prospectus filed with the SEC (http://dtn.fm/ZDj1b), Monaker is accelerating its corporate action and has initiated the process seeking to uplist shares of its common stock to the NYSE Market.

Headquartered in Weston, Florida, Monaker Group is digging its heels into the alternative lodging market (vacation home rentals, resort residences and unused timeshare inventory). As evidenced by the diversity of Airbnb’s listings – which include castles and villas – this puts Monaker in exactly the right spot to cater to consumers looking beyond hotel rooms for economical and unique accommodations.

The company’s flagship brand is NextTrip.com, the first and only real-time booking engine that features alternative lodging, as well as a full selection of airlines, hotels, cruises, rental cars, tours and concierge services. While its model greatly differs from its competitors in this respect, NextTrip also offers the ability to book in real-time – which means no more waiting for home owners to respond – and employs a B2B solution for the larger Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and lodging bookers that until now have been unable to access inventory.

These features are offered in a single, easy-to-use platform that gives users access to vacation rental inventory in desirable locations in the U.S., the EU and the Caribbean.

In addition to its existing inventory, Monaker has roughly one million additional alternative lodging units under contract that are set to be added to its platform. In terms of available listings, the additional inventory should easily place NextTrip among the top three largest vacation rental inventories and rival industry peers – along with Airbnb and HomeAway.

Monaker is also tapping into business travel, and recently expanded its initial agreement with Recruiter.com to offer travel products and services to Recruiter’s list of more than three million customers, many of which are senior corporate executives. Monaker expects the deal to provide “meaningful exposure” to decision makers at roughly one million companies worldwide.

Demonstrated by Airbnb’s ability to raise billions of dollars and build confidence in a relatively young industry, the market is ripe and welcoming for Monaker and its ability to deliver innovations that add a new dynamic to the existing home-sharing model.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

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Before the opening bell, Agora Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AGHI), parent company of Geegle Media, offered prospective shareholders an update on its current and future endeavors, including the recent launch of its FRAME social media management application, anticipated future developments related to the FRAME platform and additional projects that are currently underway. Notably, the company announced the availability of FRAME to the general public, building on its limited launch of the platform earlier this month. The app is currently available for download at Frame.ms and on the Android app marketplace, Google Play. Agora expects to release FRAME for iOS devices sometime next week.

“Thus far, 2016 has been a year of exponential growth and realization of core technologies,” Dan Terziev, chief executive officer of Geegle Media, stated in this morning’s news release. “With FRAME now available on the market, we will continue to develop the application, as well as other products in our pipeline, to cater to the growing consumer trend toward hyper-connectivity spurred by innovations in digital communication.”

As a social media management tool, FRAME allows users to streamline the process of posting and viewing content across multiple social media platforms from a single, secure application. FRAME is available for free for non-commercial users and currently features integration with Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB). Agora has already outlined plans to introduce additional social media platforms to FRAME moving forward, such as Alphabet’s (NASDAQ: GOOG; GOOGL) Google+. Other updates currently in the works include enhanced image management, advanced filters, reporting options and unique marketing campaign models.

Agora is also continuing to advance development on a number of other projects. As part of one such project, the company intends to integrate FRAME with its TECH workflow management tool, effectively creating a full business management solution that helps automotive and telecommunications providers better leverage their existing resources in order to target the right customers with the right campaigns.

Other projects in Agora’s pipeline include its GeegLe.TV, 1000Salads.com and LobbyTV.ca consumer portals. These web-based platforms will offer content and information regarding various topics to consumers, giving merchants an additional channel through which to reach potential customers. With 1000Salads.com, for example, Agora aims to offer nutritional information to a community of health and fitness conscious individuals. Users of this platform are expected to have access to expert nutritional advice and healthy recipes. Agora has also alluded to plans regarding an ecommerce market for health and fitness on the 1000Salads.com site.

For more information, visit www.agoraholdingsinc.com

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Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) is committed to building innovative, travel-focused companies that bring unique products and services to the marketplace. As parent company to a group of diverse and exciting brands and divisions, Monaker’s travel solutions are used by varied demographics. Plus, with key partnerships and established travel brands as its cornerstones, the company continues to pursue its mission of expanding its offerings to become the “one stop” vacation center.

Monaker is a leader within the world of travel. With more than six decades of experience and operation in leisure travel, the Florida-based company continues to offer technologically-driven travel solutions across borders. Within the industry, Monaker is well known for developing the first comprehensive platform to feature real-time alternative lodging booking functionality.

Monaker’s flagship platform, NextTrip.com, delivers this functionality and more. With NextTrip.com, consumers have access to a real-time booking engine that features alternative lodging (vacation home rentals, resort residences and unused timeshares) and a wide array of flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars, tours and concierge services, all of which are unified under one platform that gives customers the power to choose as they see fit when booking their vacations.

In the summer of 2016, Monaker stepped up its list of offerings by introducing a premium service that will allow it to tap into the fast-growing alternative lodging market even further. Earlier this year, a Research and Markets report estimated that the international vacation rental market will reach $170 billion by 2019, and Monaker is taking steps to pursue a portion of this market with its new service. Monaker’s premium service is designed to give property owners a chance to increase their booking revenue by close to 50% while reducing how much time they need to manage their properties by about 10 hours per week. Lots of property owners around the world are constantly seeking a more practical, more convenient way to post their vacation rental properties as alternative lodgings, and Monaker is now offering them that option. At the same time, the new premium service should bring more property listings to Monaker’s alternative lodging portfolio.

For more information, visit www.MonakerGroup.com

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Before the opening bell, Laguna Blends, Inc. (CSE: LAG) (OTC: LAGBF) (Frankfurt: LB6A.F) announced its inclusion on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) Composite index. Criteria for inclusion on the CSE Composite index include active listing on the CSE, a market capitalization of at least $5 million and a seasoning requirement. At each quarterly rebalance, companies included in the index are assessed to ensure a minimum market capitalization of at least $4 million, with companies that fail to meet this criteria being subject to index deletion. The market cap of Laguna Blends was listed at $6.34 million as of September 19, 2016.

“Inclusion in the CSE Composite index is another indicator Laguna continues to deliver shareholder value through its strategic growth strategy,” Bryan Loree, chief financial officer of Laguna, stated in this morning’s news release. “Laguna has positioned itself to be a dominant player in the distribution and marketing of unique hemp and CBD related products around the world.”

Laguna Blends leverages a growing network of independent affiliates to generate retail sales of multiple products in the United States and Canada. The company’s initial products to market are Caffe, an instant hot coffee beverage infused with whey and hemp protein, and Pro369, a single serving hemp protein powder available in four delicious flavors. In June, Laguna highlighted the marketability of these offerings when it announced the generation of $105,000 in unaudited sales in the first 11 weeks following commencement of operations. With the geometric growth opportunities presented by the company’s network marketing strategy, this strong start put Laguna “on track with its long term sales growth strategy,” according to President Ray Grimm Jr.

In recent weeks, Laguna has turned much of its attention toward its entry into the $121 billion global skin care market. The company entered into an exclusive agreement to distribute Swiss-made Cannaceuticals (“Canna”) cannabidiol (CBD) skin care products in the United States and, upon regulatory approval, Canada, Asia, Europe and Mexico. In a recent clinical study evaluating the efficacy of these products, Canna’s CBD facial serum produced an overall improvement to the appearance of skin in 100 percent of test subjects in just two weeks. On September 13, Laguna announced the VIP launch of the Canna CBD skin care products to its existing affiliates in the U.S., marking a significant step in its efforts to become a major player within the skin care industry.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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EnteroMedics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ETRM) aims to make America leaner and fitter. The company, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, provides safe, reliable and effective products and therapies to treat obesity and metabolic disorders. Its signature technology, the vBloc® vagal blocking therapy delivered via the Maestro® Rechargeable System, is gaining increasing acceptance both domestically and abroad. vBloc® offers the overweight and the obese relief from those extra pounds that, all too often, trigger a variety of problematic medical conditions.

Overweight and obesity are global problems, but America appears to have taken the cake. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has published statistics that are quite alarming. ‘More than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese’ and ‘more than 1 in 3 adults are considered to be obese’.

Overweight is excess body weight due to too much muscle, bone, fat or water. Obesity is an excess amount of body fat. One measure of overweight and obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in meters). Your weight is considered normal if the BMI is under 25. Anyone with a BMI over 25 and under 30 is considered overweight. If your BMI is 30 or over, you are obese.

Extra weight means extra stress for the vital organs. The liver, heart, kidneys and pancreas are all adversely affected by visceral fat, the internal fatty tissue that develops to enfold them. Unlike the benign deposits of fat that lie just beneath the skin, which shape our figures, visceral fat is highly toxic. ‘Visceral fat has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In women, it is also associated with breast cancer and the need for gallbladder surgery’, according to this (http://dtn.fm/tR3tv) Harvard Medical School publication. The NIDDK lists the health risks of overweight and obesity as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, nonalcoholic fatty liver disorders, osteoarthritis, stroke and cancers of the breast, colon, uterine lining and kidney.

Chronic cases of overweight and obesity are treated by surgery. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) figures, as reported by News Medical (http://dtn.fm/mM8vM), relate that ‘about 193,000 people had bariatric surgery in 2014… sleeve gastrectomy was… found to be the most common procedure, accounting for 51.7 percent of weight-loss operations, followed by gastric bypass (26.8%), gastric band (9.5%), and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (0.4%).’ These are all intensely intrusive procedures with many risks that may be hard to stomach. Sleeve gastrectomy, for example, is a procedure in which up to 80 percent of the stomach can be removed.

The vBloc® vagal blocking therapy from EnteroMedics, Inc. is, on the other hand, minimally invasive. It is implanted under the skin just outside the ribcage and involves limited scarring. Recovery time from surgery is short. Some patients reported having the surgery on Friday and going out to work the following Monday.

The vBloc® Therapy works to control sensations of hunger using a pacemaker-like device. A Briefing Document (http://dtn.fm/gY7a9) on the FDA website indicates that when the therapy is used for 12 hours per day as prescribed, patients experienced an average excess weight loss of 28 percent over one year. This was 50 percent more weight loss than patients who did not receive vBloc®.

In June 2016, EnteroMedics announced a series of successful vBloc procedures at the Beltline Bariatric and Surgical Group in Atlanta, Georgia. And this week, it was disclosed that the European Patent Office had issued a Notice of Intention to Grant a European Patent covering safety features of the Company’s vBloc® Neurometabolic Therapy System. EnteroMedics, with its vBloc® Therapy, is beginning to look like a heavy hitter.

For more information, please visit www.vbloc.com