ContentChecked Holdings, Inc. was recently featured in “The Tan Sheet,” a leading trade publication that covers the non-prescription pharmaceutical and nutritional industries. In its October 9th issue, “The Tan Sheet” highlighted ContentChecked’s recently announced and unique partnership with Troy Healthcare.

Under the previously announced partnership, ContentChecked and Troy Healthcare have teamed up to apply their innovative products, MigraineChecked and Stopain® Migraine, respectively, to help consumers gain access preventative information and fast-acting relief from migraines.

MigraineChecked is a unique, free mobile app that scans food bar codes to help consumers detect and avoid the more than 250,000 packaged foods known to trigger migraines. MigraineChecked users can set up profiles and favorites for themselves, as well as for family members or friends who may also experience migraines. Stopain Migraine is a topical gel that provides safe, fast and effective migraine pain relief without pills, known side effects or the risk of drug interaction. Stopain Migraine does not include aspirin, caffeine or acetaminophen, and can be used alone or in conjunction with other medications since there are no known drug interactions.

“The Tan Sheet” is a weekly trade magazine that provides customers with essential regulatory, business and clinical information concerning the healthcare industry. As the over-the-counter (OTC) industry’s leading source of analysis, information and news, “The Tan Sheet” is read by a growing audience of executives, marketers, consultants and investors.

“The Tan Sheet’s” coverage of ContentChecked and Troy Healthcare provides both companies with considerable exposure among these invaluable demographics.

“We’re honored to be featured in such a reputable, industry-leading publication,” said Kris Finstad, CEO of ContentChecked, the developer of MigraineChecked, SugarChecked and ContentChecked, a family of health apps for people with dietary restrictions and/or food preferences. “As we continue to advance exposure and availability of the ContentChecked brand, exposure of this nature is highly favorable to our growth initiatives and to spreading the word of our innovative and exciting technologies.”

For more information visit www.contentchecked.com

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Hemp, Inc. this morning announced the need for “Educational Press Releases” on industrial hemp, the plant which for thousands of years was used in all major areas of commerce until the 1930s. The company says versatility of the hemp plant in modern American use has been distorted due to vague distinctions from its cousin, marijuana. As such, Hemp, Inc. executives feel their shareholders, potential shareholders and the general public should be informed of “industry material events” such as hemp legislation and rapidly changing laws in the industry. In particular, the company is highlighting ongoing legislation on hemp laws in North Carolina and the Southeastern United States.

Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc., in the news release said, “It’s not that often that a ‘black market’ industry becomes legalized. That happens, maybe, once every century. For years, there has been so much misinformation, negative propaganda and downright lies by the government. Misinformation has inculcated itself into the educational, judicial, law enforcement and medical systems. For these reasons, we are doing what we call ‘Educational Press Releases.’ You have to remember, it’s been over 70 years of misinformation that has trickled down to legislators, scientists, educators, students, nutritionists, industrialists, farmers, medical, rehabilitation, consumers and more. Most of the other industrialized countries around the world are already knowledgeable on the hemp plant and the industrial hemp industry.”

The company is taking action to inform the general public by releasing a series of “Educational Press Releases,” and applauds the job the mainstream media is doing by reporting the educational facts on the terms industrial hemp, what is hemp, and what is the difference between hemp and marijuana.

“We will reprint those articles,” says Perlowin, “such as the ones we are mentioning in this release.”

In its news release this morning, the company then highlighted the following publications:

Could Southwest farmers benefit from commercial hemp production? Will state lawmakers ever approve hemp as a lawful crop? By: Logan Hawks (October 16, 2015)

“While valid arguments could be made supporting and opposing the idea of hemp as a legal crop, overall, the agricultural community seems to view the potential of commercial hemp in a positive light. As research continues, a number of advantages to growing hemp are becoming clear.

The argument for and against commercial hemp production continues to rage across the country, but since the 2014 farm bill cleared the way for the legal research and testing of hemp production under controlled circumstances, interest in growing hemp, at least as an alternative crop, has increased considerably.

While valid arguments could be made supporting and opposing the idea of hemp as a legal crop, overall, the agricultural community seems to view the potential of commercial hemp in a positive light. As research continues, a number of advantages to growing hemp are becoming clear.

From an economic standpoint, hemp does not currently offer itself as one of the most profitable crops to grow. Demand for raw hemp, while substantial, is much less than for most commodity crops.

The Hemp Industries Association reports that Americans bought about $625 million worth of hemp products last year, including clothing, building materials, food made with hemp seeds, and assorted other hemp-related products, according to Eric Steenstren, the association’s executive director.” (Posted on Southwest Farm Press on 10-16-2015)

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Hemp
By Carey Reed Oct. 17, 2015 – PBS.org

Early last year, Congress passed a Farm Bill authorizing a wide range of federal agricultural programs.

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Why Kentucky farmers are quitting tobacco and turning to an unlikely new crop

Tucked away in that legislation was an amendment granting states and universities the right to research a plant that has long been banned from cultivation in the United States — hemp.

Hemp production was banned throughout the United States in 1937, with the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act. Two weeks ago, North Carolina’s House and Senate passed a bill that would legalize the production of industrial hemp in the state.

The Drug Enforcement Administration told PBS NewsHour it has granted several dozen permits to grow hemp in nine states.

Marijuana and hemp are varieties of cannabis that developed due to selective breeding: Hemp for its fiber and marijuana for its narcotic components.

While the two look and smell alike, they are chemically and structurally different.

The major difference between the two is the levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — or the chemical in marijuana that gets people high.

Hemp has virtually no trace of THC, while pot has around 10 percent; some strains of marijuana can have as much as 27 percent THC.

Here are eight things you may not have known about hemp.

1. Hemp will not get you high, but it may give you a headache.

Hemp contains just .3 percent of THC, the chemical that can cause feelings of euphoria. If you were to ingest hemp seeds with the hopes of getting high, you won’t — and you might get a headache instead. You might also feel as if you had taken a strong laxative, as studies have shown hemp seed to have significant constipation-curing qualities.

2. Natives of a small island off the coast of China may have been the first to use hemp.

Archaeologists found pottery bearing impressions of cannabis cord, while unearthing a Stone Age Taiwanese village, according to the 1980 book, “Marihuana: The First Twelve Thousand Years” by Ernest L. Abel. On mainland China during Second Century B.C., people made clothes from hemp. And hemp’s use as a cloth for swaddling infants and covering the bodies of the dead was mentioned in the sacred Confucian texts known as the “Book of Rites”.

3. Common household items can be made with hemp, from birdseed to ice cream.

Hemp fiber has long been valued for its strength and versatility.

The North American Industrial Hemp Council estimates that hemp can be used to make more than 25,000 products, from the paper pages of Bibles to building materials for homes.

The fibers were used to make rope, boat caulking and sails during the time of the Vikings. The word canvas can be traced back to the Greek kannabis and Latin cannabis, or hemp.

Historians claim America’s first flags were made of hemp cloth.

Henry Ford fashioned a car panel from a plastic derived from straw, pine, hemp and ramie in order to help farmers during the Great Depression, according to a Aug. 14, 1941 New York Times article.

And because hemp oil penetrates better than linseed oil, it has been used as an industrial lubricant, Charles T. Ambrose of the University of Kentucky School of Medicine and the author of “Transylvania University and its Hemp Connection” told PBS NewsHour.

Just last week, Bruce Dietzen drove from Florida to Colorado in a fiery red convertible made out of hemp. Dietzen modeled the car that runs on corn after Mazda’s sporty Miata.

“One version gets you high. The other version you can make a car out of. They’re both cannabis,” he told the Denver Post.

4. In the 1600s, property owners in North America had to grow hemp.

By way of a royal decree, King James I required every property owner in Jamestown to grow 100 plants of hemp for export in 1619, according to “Hemp: American History Revisited: The Plant with a Divided History” by Robert Deitch.

Jamestown Colony was England’s first permanent settlement in North America run by the Virginia Company.

The hemp was used to provide cordage and canvas for British ships, Ambrose said.

Similar hemp decrees were later issued in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

5. What do Woody Harrelson and Mitch McConnell have in common?

Why a fondness for hemp, of course.

The former “Cheers” star and current Senate majority leader and Kentucky’s state senator have been on separate, but parallel crusades to make hemp legal again in the U.S.

In 1996, Harrelson planted four hemp seeds in rural Kentucky and was arrested, CBS reported. Charges of marijuana possession were later dropped.

He then made a movie called “Hempsters: Plant the Seed” in 2010.

McConnell, who represents the state that first began growing hemp in the 1770s and went on to become a major producer, harvesting 15,000 tons per year in the 1840s to 40,000 tons per year by the 1850s, started his own hemp crusade in 2013.

“We are laying the groundwork for a new commodity market for Kentucky farmers,” McConnell told Politico Magazine. “And by exploring innovative ways to use industrial hemp to benefit a variety of Kentucky industries, the pilot programs could help boost our state’s economy and lead to future jobs.”

6. Hemp for Victory!

That was the name of a U.S. Department of Agriculture-run program to encourage farmers to grow hemp during World War II.

Faced with a shortage of Manila hemp that was imported and used in ship’s rigging, the U.S. government had to act quickly.

The answer? Grow hemp on U.S. soil, where it had thrived – especially in Kentucky – more than a century before.

For decades the program was thought to be a myth, until the late 1980s, when a group of hemp activists reportedly found copies of the “Hemp for Victory” video in the Library of Congress archives.

7. Hemp seed contains a nutrient also found in breast milk.

The Oil found in hemp seed is rich in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), a nutritious unsaturated fatty acid, which is also found in breast milk.

In addition to GLA, hemp seed oil is packed with other omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, making it a healthier alternative to many other vegetable oils, Ambrose told PBS NewsHour.

8. Leftover hemp stalks can be used to store energy.

Last year, a team of scientists led by David Mitlin at the University of Alberta made a supercapacitor, an energy storage device, out of leftover hemp, the BBC reported.

While supercapacitors store less energy than regular batteries, they can be charged in a shorter amount of time and deliver that energy in a speedier fashion.

Mitlin told the PBS NewsHour that these supercapacitors are great for things that need a fast, potent burst of energy — like charging an iPhone in minutes for two hours of talk time.

For their experiment, Mitlin’s team cooked down discarded hemp stalks that were being stored by the government in Alberta, Canada, where it is legal to grow industrial hemp.

(Read article on PBS.org here)

For more information on Hemp, Inc. visit www.hempinc.com

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According to a report out in July this year from technology research and advisory outfit TechNavio, the English language training (ELT) market in China is on track to run at a CAGR of 19 percent over the next four years. With over 400 million English language learners, a concerted and ongoing effort by the Chinese government to create jobs through improvement of the overall quality of human capital in the country, continuously mounting student mobility to the U.S. and UK, as well as a pre K-12 dominance where under 14 children make up over 20 percent of the 1.35 billion population – the Chinese ELT market has now become a seriously coveted target for EdTech vendors.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have also become a big part of the equation, with entities like Coursera and Udacity still quite popular, as well as the online university-level offerings from entities like joint Harvard/MIT open-source project, edX, which have made waves for the larger sector players, such as international education and media outfit Pearson (NYSE: PSO). The ELT market in China is still mainly represented by private institutes, comprised of over 50,000 English language schools, but this has been a tough nut to crack for companies like Apollo Education Group (NASDAQ: APOL) and its Apollo Global subsidiary, leaving a fragmented market that is ripe for capitalization by agile English language learning program providers.

On the whole, Asian education markets are a hot topic, with the fastest growing e-learning space on earth, where English in particular commands the region’s vast majority of what is in total, a $247 billion global language market. Asia’s e-learning space represents around 8 percent currently, but it is set to rise to over 23 percent of an estimated $53 billion global e-learning market by 2018, as the broader education market continues to outstrip the U.S. by a factor of ten times the number of K-12 enrollments. Even with more than 100,000 native English speakers currently in China, English proficiency in the country remains relatively low, and the potential for supplementary EdTech language solutions is tremendous.

This is a story echoed by the planet’s other hot ELT markets, like those in Latin America. Where, according to leading research firm for the global EdTech supplier market, Ambient Insight, the digital English language learning product space is set to grow at a nearly 14 percent CAGR through 2018, when it will generate revenues in the neighborhood of $260.9 million. Brazil represents the largest chunk, with some 50 million primary and secondary students, and revenues which are seen as doubling by 2018.

Surveying this landscape, one of the more interesting publicly traded players in the EdTech arena today is developer and marketer of both print and digital English language learning products, Lingo Media (OTC: LMDCF) (TSXV: LM). LMDCF currently commands a whopping 60 percent plus of the massive primary school market in China via its Lingo Learning business unit’s print-based English language learning programs, alongside its co-publishing partners, People’s Education Press, and PEP Audio Visual Press. This is quite a feat by Lingo Learning, which recently launched its primary-level, PEP Primary English program into several additional provinces in China – but it is also par for the course, given that the company is one of the earliest entrants into China, which is now the world’s largest English language learning market. The company’s well established presence, backed up by a long and successful track record working closely with Chinese government agencies via partnerships, is cemented by a brand presence that has seen Lingo co-publish over 520 million product components, covering the entire gamut from K-12, to universities, and even the continuing education market for working professionals.

This rock-solid footprint in print media for the Chinese market has created considerable opportunity for the company’s digital solutions business unit, ELL Technologies. The importance of the company having been one of the first players in speech recognition and speech analysis technology is also paramount here, with state-of-the-art components available across ELL Technologies’ entire range of learning solutions. From Kids, a platform designed for pre-readers, which recently saw the debut of its inaugural pre-school program, Winnie’s World. To the company’s Scholar, Business, and Master learning solutions. Components such as Speaking Lab’s Speak2Me, an automatic feedback, computer-based virtual conversation tool that, in conjunction with speech recognition program, The Studio, can detect mispronunciation at the level of a single phoneme (an individual, perceptually distinct unit of sound), and provide immediate help to students.

Most traditional speech recognition programs simply cannot offer this level of advanced capability and are only able to diagnose mispronunciation errors at the whole word level, making the combined solution a revolutionary way to practice speaking on your own. A workflow that allows the user to hone in on an exact pronunciation problem, guided by color-coded instant feedback alerts made available during an avatar-driven simulated conversation. The entire ELL Technologies’ suite of products is also compliant with the e-learning industry’s de facto interoperability standard, SCORM. Meaning the code is written so that software meshes seamlessly with other e-learning content and Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Moreover, the entire suite offers contextual-based training for understanding conditional cultural nuances, as well as the much sought after achievement testing that Chinese consumers demand in order to validate content progression. At its core, the suite is comprised of a wide variety of interactive lessons, with content designed for everything from kindergarten to adult learning.

Strong Q2 revenue growth of roughly 776% year-over-year to $1.79 million, as digital learning outpaced the company’s bedrock print-based revenue for the first time in operating history, underscores a powerful expansion into booming English language learning EdTech markets like Colombia, Mexico and Peru (where the company recently secured new software licensing contracts for ELL Technologies’ programs), as well as other Latin American countries. President and CEO of LMDCF, Michael Kraft, reported in August at the time of the Q2 announcement, that management anticipates similar upward momentum for the second half of 2015, and noted how Latin America in particular was becoming a very appealing sales growth horizon.

A considerable expansion of the digital English language learning library, through a licensing agreement with Connecting Doors, to digitize and globally distribute its best-selling general English program – in addition to the release of its cutting-edge course/lesson, easy creation and management tools, known as Course Builder and Lesson Builder – have made ELL Technologies’ suite of offerings more compelling than ever. Looks like Latin America’s English language learning markets are already taking notice.

Get a closer look, visit Lingo Media at www.lingomedia.com

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International Stem Cell Corp. continues its pursuit of advancing regenerative medicine through its use and research of stem cells in the white hot biotechnology space. ISCO uses parthenogenesis, a stem cell technology that makes use of unfertilized eggs to address immune system rejection. The eggs being used have mirroring sets of human leukocyte antigen genes (HLA) that reduce the chance of immune system rejection. Not to be overlooked, it’s worth noting that one line of these cells can treat multiple millions of people. The company can draw human parthenogenetic neural stem cells (hpNSC) from the unfertilized eggs for self-renewing processes that are integral to the degeneration process.

Following continuous successful testing, International Stem Cell Corp. suggests that their human parthenogenetic neural stem cells can take the place of dead and dying neurons while also protecting existing ones when transplanted into the brain of someone with Parkinson’s disease. Further, company researchers and scientists are progressing toward developing human retinal epithelium (RPE) cells that are used in the treatment of eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration. Along with that research, the company is one of the world’s select few to develop a method for creating corneal tissue and cells to treat blindness.

International Stem Cell has recently announced its development of technology that creates functional cartilage from a person’s skin to treat a joint disease that erodes cartilage infamously known as osteoarthritis. The company is also making strides aside from therapeutic systems that, according to Chief Scientific Officer, Ruslan Semechkin, PhD, “can potentially be treated with the patient’s own cells.”

Running concurrent with its work in the area of regenerative techniques, International Stem Cell Corp. runs a cosmeceutical line called Lifeline Skin Care Inc. This business makes cosmetic skin care products all over the globe. The company’s research and development in this area uses parthenogenetic stem cells, vitamins and minerals to create a rejuvenating serum leading to healthier skin.

International Stem Cell Corp. works on therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. The company’s primary technology of parthenogenesis nets the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes. Company scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that is considered by many to be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, racial background and ages.

For more information about the company, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

As a reputable company with a 50-year track record of success and roster of securities/affiliations across the U.S. and Canada, Continental Stock Transfer has mastered the details of what it takes to effectively serve emerging, growth and midsize companies.

For ultimate success and superior client service, the team of industry professionals at Continental continuously stays up-to-date with broader changing industry rules, regulations and standards. Among other services, Continental, through this solid understanding of proxy related requirements, helps clients navigate through the fine details to prepare for and execute their annual meetings. Continental’s annual meeting services and solutions include:

• Proxy card and material design consultation
• Broker search services
• Interface with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), beneficial share proxy vendor, plan administrators and intermediaries
• Traditional and Notice-&-Access material distribution
• Online document conversion and Web hosting services
• Web hosting of proxy and annual meeting material for all constituents
• iPad®/tablet-friendly online documents with industry-leading features, including tiles
• Telephone and Internet voting platforms
• Proxy tabulation with daily online voting
• Key management reports, such as voted and unvoted lists
• Material storage and fulfillment
• EDGAR and XBRL services
• Inspector of Election
• Invoice verification and processing
• Tabulation of shares voted by proxy online, by telephone or through your beneficial proxy vendor

From the latest changes in regulations, timeline and checklist, to sample documents and step-by-step descriptions of all annual meeting requirements, Continental specialists annually update the firm’s Annual Meeting Guide to ensure all bases are covered.

Continental serves companies with 50,000 shareholders or fewer and currently supports more than 1,100 public issues. With more than 2.5 million shareholders of record nationwide, continental is the fourth largest agent in the United States. In addition to fundamental offerings, the agent also provides:

• Employee plan administration
• IPO and SPAC services
• Annual meeting and proxy services
• Corporate actions and escrow services
• EDGAR/XBRL filing
• Stock plan administration
• Dividend reinvestment plan and direct stock purchase plan administration
• Dividend Disbursement Services

By providing personalized and full-access client services, Continental lives up to what you would expect from an independent, privately held, family owned corporation with a staff of seasoned professionals.

For more information visit www.continentalstock.com

Based out of Nevada, Legacy Ventures International employs business as its business. Its aim is on acquiring and molding high investment companies into large money-making entities. Being a publicly traded company means that its shareholders get the potential of gaining economically from successful ventures.

The company uses a three pronged strategy that maximizes success for a new investment. First, the company states that “We Love Disruption.” This means that businesses with outside-the-box ideas are the ones with high-potential. Second, “We Invest Wisely,” meaning that the company gives insight and the right nudges so a business can reach its highest goals. Lastly, “Shareholder Focus” means that any Legacy Ventures stockholder can get a slice of the pie from the company and its holdings.

Legacy Ventures has been sticking to this plan. RM Fresh Brands Inc. of Toronto was recently acquired by the company, which is a Food and Beverage retailer in a whopping $92 billion marketplace in Canada. Furthermore, RM Fresh Brands is focused on quickly emerging in the United States and overseas.

RM Fresh Brands is at the forefront of distinctive and trendy brands across the globe. One of its products, called Boxed Water, is a five step filtration system that comes in a carton. Another is called Chef 5-Minute Meals that have no preservatives and do not need to be refrigerated. There is even a dairy-based energy drink with a distinctive cinnamon flavor called Arriba Horchata. The company supplies these products and more to department stores, major and independent grocery stores, natural stores, and home delivery services.

The unique and successful business platform of RM Fresh Brands exemplifies the goals of Legacy Ventures International Inc. The company aims to expand this brand further while exploring other investments that align with its core values.

For more information on Legacy Ventures International Inc., visit www.legacyventuresinc.com

For more information on RM Fresh Brands Inc., visit http://www.rmfreshbrands.com

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Giggles N’ Hugs is revolutionizing the market for ‘kid-friendly’ restaurants by combining high-quality, healthy food options with exciting, entertaining environments. In February 2008, the company opened its first location in Brentwood, California, and achieved immediate success. Within two years, GIGL was approached by Westfield Corp. (OTC: WEFIF) with an expansion proposal outlining a possible nationwide rollout. Currently, the company operates three locations serving the Greater Los Angeles area, and it’s preparing for another wave of expansion.

“We’re very excited to enter our next phase of operations and to begin replicating the success we’ve experienced with our first three locations in Los Angeles,” Joey Parsi, founder and chief executive officer of GIGL, stated in a news release. “While we’re doing great in Southern California, where we’re known for our warm weather and sunny climate, we anticipate our results will be even better in markets where the weather is often less than ideal.”

In a recent news release, GIGL announced that it was in active negotiations with several of the largest mall owners in the country – including General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP) and Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG). These negotiations are focused on expanding the company’s footprint on the West Coast, with target markets such as Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego being highlighted as areas of considerable interest.

Additional GIGL locations are particularly appealing to mall operators, as the company’s family-friendly concept has been to shown to greatly improve foot traffic. These benefits were demonstrated in 2010, when GIGL secured a favorable agreement in exchange for opening its Westfield Century City Mall location. In that case, the mall agreed to pay 60 percent of construction costs in addition to meeting other, unspecified, concessions. The company is seeking a similar deal for any new locations, with significant discounts from current market rents and attractive tenant allowances serving as key factors in ongoing negotiations.

As GIGL has demonstrated in recent years, demand for healthy, family-friendly dining options is at an all-time high, and, according to a study by NPD CREST research, children are eating more healthy food options than ever before. Look for the company to continue capitalizing on this market performance as it seeks to expand its national footprint in the coming months. For prospective shareholders, these efforts could translate into an opportunity for GIGL to realize sustainable returns for the foreseeable future.

For more information, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Symbid is on a mission to simplify the way small business are funded through the use of efficient and transparent technology. Founded in the Netherlands in 2011, Symbid was one of the world’s first investment crowdfunding platforms. Through The Funding Network™, the company gives entrepreneurs direct access to all forms of finance – including equity-based crowdfunding and reward or donation based platforms. As of May 2015, The Funding Network recorded a monthly transaction volume of more than $50 million with considerable potential for generating future revenue streams.

Earlier this year, Symbid built upon the recent success of The Funding Network by adding a new peer-to-business loan product. Loan crowdfunding by Symbid, which makes use of the company’s proprietary monitoring tool and independent treasury management agency, enables a more transparent alternative to current online lending options for both investors and entrepreneurs.

“Following its launch in March, the diversified product portfolio of The Funding Network is now taking shape, creating value for investors and entrepreneurs,” Korstiaan Zandvliet, co-founder and chief executive officer of Symbid, stated in a news release. “We are starting to reap the commercial benefits of our newly launched investing, monitoring and data tools as we continue to innovate at the forefront of online funding.”

In the second quarter of 2015, the company leveraged the marketability of the newly expanded offerings of The Funding Network platform to realize a 28 percent year-over-year increase in total revenues, reporting $92,370 for the period. Symbid expects to continue its ongoing release of new products and services with the launch of an exclusive deal-making tool by the end of this year.

In an effort to expand its market share in the rapidly-evolving crowdfunding market, Symbid recently announced a strategic partnership with DNOB, a funding platform for entrepreneurs led by Hans Biesheuvel, former chairman of MKB Nederland. In addition to providing DNOB with access to over 50 professional financiers and 32,000 private investors, the partnership is expected to allow Symbid to rapidly increase its monthly transaction volume in order to solidify its position as the top entrepreneurial funding platform in the Netherlands.

Symbid’s ongoing efforts to expand its presence in the crowdfunding market make it an intriguing investment prospect moving forward. The company currently estimates The Funding Network’s 2015 transaction volume at $800 million, and the persistent addition of revolutionary new features is creating a significant opportunity for additional growth. Look for Symbid to leverage this performance as it continues to promote maximized shareholder value.

For more information, visit www.symbid.com

Amid surging demand and a booming economy, American trucking companies are facing a shortage of nearly 50,000 drivers, according to On the Move Systems (OMVS) – and it’s a conundrum the company says its shared economy platform can help overcome.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) reports that the shortage is deepening, and is expected to jump to 174,000 needed drivers by 2025. Compounding the problem, trucking companies are reportedly having trouble finding, and keeping, qualified candidates. While 1.6 million men and women are currently employed as truck drivers, the driver turnover rate consistently tops an astounding 90 percent.

As a result, top qualified drivers are now commanding, and getting, premium compensation – with the median annual salary now 10 percent higher at $73,000.

With its shared economy trucking app, OMVS says it can help solve these growing industry challenges, which the company says have the potential to impact the broader economy.

“This shortage could not only crimp the industry, but the U.S. economy, too,” OMVS CEO Robert Wilson stated in a news release. “Shipments are being delayed or can’t be delivered, causing prices to go up. Our shared economy app, now under development, could solve this. Companies looking for drivers can seamlessly find those looking for work or local independent owner-operators wanting to contract with national logistics firms. While the driver shortage and subsequent capacity crunch pose real problems for truckers, they represent a great opportunity for our platform.”

OMVS continues development work on its upcoming trucking app. Based on the highly successful Uber model, the online, on-demand platform will enable truckers to take advantage of the increasingly popular shared economy.

For more information visit www.onthemovesystems.com

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Hot on the heels of signing an exclusive distributor agreement with 57-year veteran oil and gas production services and equipment supplier, Oil and Gas Equipment, Inc. (which is focused on delivering a soup-to-nuts capability for sector operators in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah), developer of proprietary stored energy solutions and ultra-high precision chemical injection pumps, Galenfeha, Inc. (OTC: GLFH), recently announced that the company is now on track to become the nation’s top consumer of LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry. Given the continuing downturn in energy prices, oil and gas sector operators are clamoring for ways to shore up efficiency, and whether that comes in the form of the company’s revolutionary SCADA-controlled (pneumatic and solar) chemical injection pump control platform, the iWaV, or the company’s increasingly popular and extremely robust lineup of LiFePO4 batteries, GLFH is seeing mounting market penetration. In the battery arena specifically, this trend now has the company poised to steal the top slot from the only other company in the country with a bigger footprint in this compelling battery chemistry.

This latest distributor agreement announcement follows up on the exclusive distribution deal inked back in August with one of the most trusted names in West Texas oilfield services, Control Equipment, Inc., a deal which greatly expanded GLFH’s throughput in the Permian Basin. Sometime next year, on the strength of continuingly positive sales of oilfield batteries and increased penetration in other markets for the company’s lineup of patent pending, microprocessor controlled LiFePO4 battery systems, such as the NEV (neighborhood electric vehicle) and golf cart markets, Galenfeha will likely become the biggest U.S. manufacturer doing lithium iron phosphate batteries. Already hard at work on accessing new horizons for its range of batteries, including testing units that are slated to capture sizeable share in the U.S. military market, Galenfeha, with its extremely safe, yet lightweight lithium iron phosphate battery technology, is now really starting to turn heads as a provider of environmentally safe alternatives to lead-acid batteries. And these are alternatives that come with significant performance advantages to boot.

The same superb thermal stability, long-lasting electrochemical properties and superior energy density (compared to other chemistries such as lithium-ion), which has won the company’s technology many ardent fans in the oil and gas production game, has also set GLFH up for success in other battery end markets. The company’s current lineup, consisting of 30AH and 120AH (13.2V), 40AH and 120AH (12V), and a 12V mobile system (for vehicle emergency starter applications, as well as for field charging mobile phones or other electronic devices, and supplying continuous power for devices such as laptops), is fast becoming the go to choice across a wide variety of markets. Not only are these batteries an extremely attractive solution for upgrading various traditional lead-acid battery systems, offering benefits such as an absence of dangerous gases being generated during charging, the proprietary onboard battery management system (BMS) developed by GLFH also represents a significant cost-saving and logistical efficiency advantage. An advantage which has made Galenfeha a rising star among consumers of the technology.

The much lower self-discharge rate, lack of need for water and a complete lack of sulfation on the batteries (as is common with lead-acid), makes Galenfeha’s battery systems a no-brainer when it comes to standalone applications where a (for instance) vehicle sits idle for an extended period of time. This is a key advantage in applications such as golf carts, which sit during the off-season for long periods of time, or for things like range targeting systems in the military. The company’s proprietary BMS further enhances this advantage by providing continuous monitoring of the system’s operational parameters, such as current flow, voltage, and internal temperatures during charging/discharging. The net benefit is a battery that not only offers high energy density for direct power use due to the specific capabilities of the company’s LiFePO4 chemistry, but which also lasts a lot longer, thanks to continuous assurance that the battery is operating in a safe state, and that the cells are being protected from overcharge or being discharged too low, as well as optimally balanced, by the BMS.

The military market alone holds significant, untapped potential for GLFH’s technology and an already strong footing in oilfield services, combined with a growing presence in the golf cart/NEV space, makes this extremely agile company a highly interesting target for savvy investors. Galenfeha’s relatively small size and its established track record for providing the kinds of problem solving and tight-knit working relationships needed to master the military market, which is characterized by high demand for tailored solutions and an increasing focus on energy savings/environmental impact, make this company a share price-accessible vehicle for shareholders looking to profit amid the ongoing shift towards greater energy efficiency across the DOD’s entire landscape, as well as numerous sectors. And the company is even positioned to compete with Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) Powerwall technology for home backup power and main use energy cost efficiency, with an arguably superior implementation of the same concept, based on the company’s LiFePO4 chemistry, instead of lithium-ion cells.

Learn more, visit Galenfeha’s website at www.galenfeha.com

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