Throwing parties and entertaining is an expensive and time-consuming ordeal, especially when kids are involved. Picking out a menu and venue that can accommodate both grown ups and their children may seem almost impossible. Factor in how picky and health oriented people are these days with their food and you’ve got yourself a five alarm emergency. Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (OTCQB: GIGL) saw a demand for this type of venue, which prompted the creation of its award-winning restaurants and family play centers located in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Giggles N’ Hugs is the first and only restaurant that brings together high-end, organic food with active, cutting-edge play and entertainment for children. Every Giggles N’ Hugs location offers an upscale, family-friendly atmosphere with a unique, custom-made 2,000 square-foot play area that children 10 and younger absolutely love. Giggles N’ Hugs features high-quality menus made from fresh and local organic foods and nightly entertainment, such as magic shows, concerts, and puppet shows, and all-day activities like face painting, crafts and karaoke.

While your kids are enjoying the plethora of entertainment options listed above, you can kick back with a nice glass of vino and enjoy a citrus tuna salad. In this case, it’s important to have all your eggs in one basket – kids attention grabbers, organic and local menu items, affordable pricing options, and fun atmosphere. Plus, Giggles N’ Hugs has three location options around the Los Angeles area from which to chose.

Catering office parties and planning a meeting are options as well at Giggles N’ Hugs. They handle all the organizing, food prepping, and staffing, so all you have to do is enjoy the food, scenery, and ambience of your party or meeting. The company has been around for more than five years and is looking to expand to other markets across the country and around the world with its proven template. Soon, you could see a Giggles N’ Hugs in your area and begin taking the kiddos to enjoy some happy, healthy fun.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel stem cell-based therapies, recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (Florey) to conduct a Phase I/IIa clinical trial, dose escalation trial of human parthenogenetic stem cells-derived neural stem cells (ISC-hpNSC) in Parkinson’s patients. The Florey is viewed by the medical community as one of the world’s leading brain research centers. With the largest neuroscience research team in Australia at its side, both parties’ collaborative efforts are now underway.

Director of the Movement Disorders Service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Dr. Andrew Evans, M.D., has assumed the duties that come with being named the study’s principal investigator. Dr. Evans has published extensively on Parkinson’s, addressing symptoms while leading several clinical research trials.

“We recently received authorization to initiate Phase I/IIa and now we are moving forward towards formal engagement of the clinical site to conduct this study. We are excited to work together with the Florey to conduct the clinical trials of ISC-hpNSC at the Royal Melbourne Hospital,” commented Russell Kern, PhD, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at International Stem Cell Corporation. “We expect to enroll all patients into the clinical trial in Q1 2016 and provide interim results in October 2016.”

ISC-hpNSC consists of a highly pure population of neural stem cells derived from human parthenogenetic stem cells. ISC-hpNSC are a suspension of clinical grade cells manufactured under cGMP conditions that have undergone stringent quality control measures and are clear of any microbial and viral contaminants.

ISCO’s resources and efforts are aimed at therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. Parthenogenesis, ISCO’s core technology, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes. hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. Company scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of various genders, ages and racial backgrounds with minimal immune rejection after transplantation.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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In today’s market, companies are striving to stay competitive through joint revenue strategies, vital international placement and strategic mergers and acquisitions. One active player using the latter approach to compete for market share is Legacy Ventures International, Inc. (OTCQB: LGYV). With its recent acquisition of RM Fresh Brands, Legacy Ventures is primed for distributing food, beverages and body care products, and, by employing a signature disruptive outlook, a focus on wise investments and an emphasis on shareholder value, it intends to be a stand out in the marketplace.

RM Fresh Brands distributes distinctive, sustainable and trending brands in North America and other global markets. A pioneering company, RM Fresh Brands separates itself from the crowd with its novel approach to brand partnerships. It utilizes broad consumer activation expertise to help its partners produce brand awareness and drive sales.

Below is a sample of the products RM Fresh Brands distributes:

• Aloe Gloe
  An all-natural, certified organic aloe vera water, Aloe Gloe is for people who make every effort to live a natural and healthy lifestyle.
• Boxed Water
  RM Fresh Brands is revolutionizing what consumers consider packaged water by offering water in a box instead of a plastic bottle. Along with a 5-step filtration system that delivers pure hydration, the company is supporting reforestation with this groundbreaking product.
• Chef 5-Minute Meals
  These pre-packaged meals are self-heating and shelf stable so consumers can enjoy a hot, delicious comfort meal, anytime, anywhere. According to the company, the meals have no added preservatives or fillers and require no refrigeration and/or open flame.
• Cleansify
  With this appetizing once-a-day, all-natural cleanse supplement, RM Fresh Brands delivers a potent nutritional boost to consumers.

As global markets experience ebbs and flows, companies like Legacy Ventures will continue to seek viable alternatives to strengthen their portfolios and reap high potential returns. Thanks to its recent acquisition of RM Fresh Brands, Legacy Ventures has become involved in a lucrative business deal between its new, wholly-owned subsidiary and Toronto-based Sysco (NYSE: SYY). With Sysco being a leader in supplying food products and equipment to multiple food-service establishments, this joint venture is expected to be significant for both companies, and successes like this are speaking volumes about the Nevada-based multinational conglomerate’s future promise.

For more information, visit www.legacyventuresinc.com

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According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, there are about $1.2 trillion dollars of U.S. currency in circulation. Every day a significant proportion of that changes hand as individuals and institutions buy and sell, pay bills, and make other money transfers. The payments systems is a behemoth that, in general, operates so smoothly we never even notice it’s there. Yet that near flawless perfection comes at a price that we do pay, more often than not, in the fees that banks and other agents charge to run the system.

The Economist newspaper estimates that one set of agents, or banks, are involved in over $400 trillion of money transfers every year and that, on average, they earn a quarter of one percent (0.25%) on those transfers, which amounts to $1 trillion dollars. That’s a big pie, and it’s a pie whose aroma has attracted Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTCQB: ALYI).

Alternet Systems invests in multi-channel payment solutions that include both hard and digital currencies. The company offers high-tech solutions to financial organizations that handle payments from point-of-sale devices, smart phones, tablets, PCs, and web-based applications. In August 2015, the company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Alternet Payment Solutions, had signed a strategic partnership with MUXI (a subsidiary of the APPI Group) to provide U.S. payment processors and independent sales organizations a flexible multi-channel point-of-sale payment processing solution. The MUXI platform, known as POSWEB, has been up and running in Brazil for over 12 years. It has been installed in a wide range of outlets, including banks, gas stations, hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and department stores. Significantly, the platform is employed by international money transfer agents. In all, the MUXI platform boasts over 2.5 million installed terminals.

The future for a fintech company like Alternet is bright. The payments system, dominated by the major banks and the industry giants Visa (NYSE: V) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA), which are known in the trade as ‘rails’, is undergoing a metamorphosis. A recent development is the emergence of online ‘wallets’. A wallet combines the ability to make payments and transfer funds with specialized information such as a user’s shipping address and credit card details. One of the better known wallets is, of course, PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL), but there’s the already very popular Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) Pay, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Wallet and quite a few others.

Another area of promise is the peer-to-peer fund transfer market pioneered by Venmo, which is now part of PayPal. Venmo is a free digital wallet that allows friends to transfer cash to each other. Another promising skew is the area of web payment platforms – applications that a merchant can install on his website to accept payments. There’s a positive direct relationship between ease of pay and ‘conversion rate’, which considers the proportion of visitors that are ‘converted’ to buyers.

The thrust of Alternet’s strategy is the displacement of the payments process from various forms of specialized hardware and legacy systems. These traditional approaches to payments can be replicated and improved with software solutions. An additional benefit is the portability across various platforms of a software solution. Providing such solutions is Alternet’s vision. This is one area where the company won’t pass the buck.

For more information, visit www.alternetsystems.com

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This Wednesday, January 13, the leading high-end organic food-focused restaurant and play space, designed specifically to cater to families and children, Giggles N’ Hugs (OTCQB: GIGL), will be prominently featured from 5AM to 9:30AM, live on Los Angeles’ most-watched local AM news, KTLA 5. The first commercial TV station licensed west of the Mississippi River, with a broadcasting record stretching back to 1947, KTLA, the Los Angeles CW affiliate of Chicago-based Tribune Media’s (NYSE: TRCO) Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary, is watched by more adults aged 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 than any other local news in all of Los Angeles.

Needless to say, this is a huge boon for the already thriving Giggles N’ Hugs brand, which has become an extremely popular venue for families who want to get a top-quality meal and also go someplace where their youngest ones can be completely at ease. Voted the number one family restaurant and birthday party place in all LA, Giggles N’ Hugs is proud to welcome the broadcast of KLTA 5’s Morning News with Emmy Award-winning reporter and anchor Wendy Burch to the company’s flagship Century City Westfield Mall location. Giggles N’ Hugs encourages families to RSVP using info@gigglesnhugs.com to take advantage of limited space, as well as have the opportunity to appear on live TV.

The first lucky 30 families to arrive at the event, which will feature free entertainment, food and drinks, will also receive a three-month membership valued at over $90, good at any Giggles N’ Hugs location, including the ones at Glendale Galleria and the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center. Wednesday’s event will also showcase four of the company’s numerous party themes, such as dinosaur, cartoon pups, jungle, mermaid, pirate, princess, rock star, and superheroes for both boys, and girls. Also on-hand at the event will be some of the wonderful live entertainment offerings that Giggles N’ Hugs has become known by parents throughout LA for, including a live music performance by acclaimed local kids music duo BeatBuds, as well as a puppet show, live DJ dance party, and face painting.

This event will bring even more public exposure to the increasingly popular Giggles N’ Hugs family-friendly restaurants and aid in the ongoing expansion of the brand nationwide, as well as globally, under the auspices of such sweetheart deals as the generous opening of Westfield’s (OTC: WEFIF) entire portfolio of malls to the company for future locations. Investors should bear in mind how the company’s extremely attractive business model has already allowed GIGL to rake in over $1.5 million in upfront cash for construction financing from LA-based venues eager to retain Giggles N’ Hugs as a tenant.

This exceptional advantage allows GIGL unprecedented leeway when it comes to expanding the business to more locations and, as Shannon Westmore, VP of Leasing for Westfield, recently put it, Giggles N’ Hugs has already helped transform both the Century City and Topanga malls into major family destinations. This key synergistic factor will continue to play a vital role for GIGL’s business model moving forward, and access to Westfield’s enormous footprint, which saw over 435 million customer visits across 40 malls last year, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to expansion potential for the company.

With a firm foundation already established at some of the hottest shopping centers in LA, a sprawling metropolis of over 18.5 million people, GIGL is well on its way to becoming the dominant force in family-friendly restaurants, and offers a wide variety of services to help cement this role, including a child drop off service for parents.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Cherubim Interests, Inc. (OTC: CHIT) is focused on beautifying the great state of Texas with the support of strategic partners and newly secured capital resources. The company has set its sights on playing a significant role in enhancing the local community’s visual appeal while also improving its infrastructure and creating new jobs.

Within the last year, Cherubim Interests Inc. has been diligently executing on its business plan. To handle the expansion of its alternative construction and real estate development business, the company rolled out modifications to its business model viewed by some as a compass that will enable it to work its way through a transitional stage.

Cherubim Interests specializes in due diligence, acquisition, planning, construction, renovation, and property management. The company’s expertise allows it to run turn-key development programs for acquisitions such as mixed use, single and multifamily projects. These deliverables also provide the company with the ability to upgrade these assets to their full market potential while building shareholder value and equity. The company has assembled a clear strategy to excel in this high-potential industry by leveraging the skills and expertise of its management team to become a formidable player in the construction space for years to come.

In the company’s first ten years since its inception, Cherubim Interests has been steadfast in its vigilance to protect its stockholders’ investments and increase their equity. With the aforementioned plan, the company is on path to enhance its ability to execute on its business strategy and capitalize on new opportunities in the real estate sector.

As Cherubim Interests continues to roll-out its hybrid business model, it will enhance and escalate its business strategy and continue on the road toward acquiring undervalued real estate assets. It is a process that Cherubim Interests is committed to – one that is supported through sustained efforts of teamwork and staying the course over time.

For more information, visit www.cherubiminterests.com

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Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) is currently targeting China’s expansive online-to-offline (O2O) marketplace with its innovative Moxian+ platform, which is specially designed to connect businesses with consumers. This strategy could pay off for the company moving forward, according to independent capital markets research firm Crystal Equity Research. Earlier today, Moxian announced that it was the subject of a thorough report conducted by the New York-based research firm outlining the company’s tremendous prospects for future growth based on its current expansion strategy.

“In our view, Moxian is entering the market at a particularly good time,” the Crystal Equity Research report noted. “Moxian perfected and tested its O2O platform in Asian markets and is targeting the largest metropolitan areas in China. The company has earned modest revenue during the development and testing phase and appears poised to experience a dramatic increase in revenue from merchant subscriptions as the company opens sales offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in 2016.”

The foundation for this growth has already been placed. Last week, Moxian announced the formation of a new corporate subsidiary located in the Dongcheng district of Beijing. Through this subsidiary, the company plans to facilitate corporate growth by targeting the roughly 20 million individuals residing in the capital city of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Following the announcement of this new subsidiary, Moxian CEO Tan Meng Dong James stated that the Beijing office represents a “qualitative leap” for Moxian in its quest to capitalize on the growing social media presence of the PRC.

In the months to come, Moxian’s ability to attract merchants to its platform will play a key role in the company’s efforts to promote financial growth, but Crystal Equity Research’s report outlines favorable economic conditions in the company’s newest market. In particular, the high penetration of smartphones and advanced cellular networks throughout China have helped O2O strategies take root, with sales related to this type of platform following an upward trajectory of roughly 25 percent per year.

The research report goes on to outline how Moxian’s current business strategies position the company for considerable market opportunity in China’s O2O sector. Spearheaded by the leadership of an experienced management team, Moxian is expected to leverage merchant fees as a significant source of recurring revenue before implementing other revenue streams – including the sale of advertising on the Moxian+ platform – to maximize the financial impact of its forecast market growth.

To view the report in its entirety, visit http://moxc.missionir.com/cereport/

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ir.moxian.com/html-en/

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When our pets eat and drink, it is very important to keep in mind the health of their muscles and joints. With people and pets alike, posture is an essential factor for preventing wear and tear on our bodies. One company that keeps this in mind when designing its award-winning products is OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO). Plus, you can find them at your local Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), PetSmart, PetCo, or Kroger (NYSE: KR).

OurPet’s has been around for more than 20 years and is a perfect example of growing your business the right way. Consistency and innovation describe the company’s research and development pipeline of products, which are flowing through the floodgates of retail behemoths like the ones mentioned above. Developing, maintaining and growing relationships with distributors are the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, for companies like OurPet’s. Its proven track record of success combined with a steady flow of new health conscience pet products will keep customer retention and market share high, while also frustrating the competition. OurPet’s has about 30 new products in the mill for release during 2016 and beyond.

The pet products and services industry, in which the company operates, was valued at $71.3 billion in 2013, and consumers spent roughly $61 billion in 2015 on pets in the U.S. alone, according to the American Pet Products Association. This is a huge market OurPet’s is positioned to take advantage of with its current distribution partners and product line.

Public relations and marketing are equally as salient for OurPet’s to continue on its current growth track. Having the best product in the world is worth absolutely nothing if nobody knows about it. That’s why the company has developed a mobile version of its website and utilized proven professionals to provide the email marketing campaigns needed for effective exposure to the investment community via social media, message boards, blogs, and other advertising tools.

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

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FlexWeek, Inc. is a pioneer in the global peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace with the introduction of a unique platform that allows timeshare owners to discover, book and offer unused vacation time directly to the public and other timeshare owners. This approach eliminates the need for timeshare owners to use costly trading platforms such as Interval International or RCI, while potentially reducing unused timeshare inventory.

FlexWeek’s P2P website (www.FlexWeek.com) and mobile application is similar to AirBNB’s $20 billion approach to the travel industry, but is the first and only P2P marketplace exclusive to fractional vacation ownerships. FlexWeek differs from the existing model, where timeshare weeks must be “banked” with a trading company such as Interval International or RCI, and instead charges the booking fees to the renter of the vacation time, eliminating the cost to the private timeshare owner.

The FlexWeek platform also addresses another specific industry challenge. The average timeshare is only booked 79% of the year, according to the American Resort Development Association’s 2012 research survey. Whether or not a privately owned timeshare unit is used, the owner still has to pay annual maintenance fees, and most owners end up losing thousands of dollars in wasted paid-for vacation time over their ownership period. With FlexWeek, an owner of unused paid vacation time can now offer their specific booked week for rent directly to the FlexWeek marketplace to recoup cost or even make a profit on the rental. The glut of unused timeshare inventory allows a potential renter to stay in a very nice condo for a fraction of what they would pay in hotel fees making it a win-win for both the owner and the renter of the vacation time.

Led by founder Kristopher Chavez, who has more than 10 years of experience operating businesses that acquire, rent, sell and transfer timeshares internationally, FlexWeek’s management team will leverage its collective expertise to facilitate the company’s direction and growth in this new market. FlexWeek’s leadership has founded rapidly growing sales organizations generating 8-figure revenues within a year’s time, and has experience scaling other models to financial success and/or acquisition rapidly with limited investment.

For more information, visit www.flexweek.com

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In a property lease agreement, isn’t it the tenant that pays the landlord? Well, not always, it seems, since landlords are paying Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (OTCQB: GIGL) substantial sums to occupy their premises. Of course, Giggles N’ Hugs will still be paying rent, but the company is considered such a valuable tenant that the owners of the premier properties it occupies are willing to invest in it. They do so by providing upfront cash to finance construction of Giggles N’ Hugs’ restaurants, play areas and other amenities. These payments have totalled $1,554,770 in all and cover all three of the company’s current locations.

Giggles N’ Hugs restaurants can be found at Westfield Mall in Century City on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, at Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, and in the Glendale Galleria. The Century City location has received $590,000 from landlord Westfield Corporation (OTC: WEFIF), the Topanga facility has received $489,770 (also from the Westfield Corporation) and Glendale Associates has paid $475,000 to the Glendale Galleria outlet.

Giggles N’ Hugs is courted because mall owners expect the company will drive family foot traffic, and family foot traffic is the lifeblood of malls. Giggles N’ Hugs’ unique upscale offering is novel and exciting. The company operates family-friendly restaurants with play areas for children 10 years and younger. The restaurants also feature daily live entertainment and shows. The design of the restaurants is intended to create a fun, casual, family atmosphere where children can interact with parents and each other and where everyone enjoys freshly prepared, organic, nutritious and reasonably priced meals. The company was founded by Joey Parsi in 2010 after he and his wife, Dorsa, realized there were no eating places that catered to the special needs of parents with young children.

Apart from the restaurants and play areas, the company plans to license its brand to market clothes, toys, a frozen food line, and vitamin water for kids. The company also offers an innovative drop off program, which allows parents to drop off their kids for up to three hours while they shop.

Giggles N’ Hugs is in good hands. Parsi is its driving force and present CEO. Back in the 90s, he was an investment advisor at Lehman Bros. Then, he served as senior vice president at Sutro and Company, the pedigreed investment management and brokerage firm founded in 1858. Thereafter, he spent two years, 1996 to 1998, at Prudential Securities (NYSE: PRU). In 1998, he founded Barron Chase and raised more than $30 million in funding for nine separate companies before liquidating the business and joining TD Waterhouse (NYSE: TD).

If Westfield Corporation and Glendale Associates are willing to bet on Giggles N’ Hugs, it must be something more than the macaroni and cheese with real cheddar or the chicken littles made with real chicken breast it has on the menu. Giggles N’ Hugs is giving back to young parents the good times dining out they once had before tying the knot. Now that can’t be a bad thing.

For more information, please visit www.gigglesnhugs.com

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