Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc.
(OTC: NUGS)
Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS), headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is focused on supporting entrepreneurial growth within the fast-growing legal cannabis sector. Through a selective portfolio of subsidiaries, Cannabis Strategic Ventures offers outsourced personnel solutions tailor-made to match the growth dynamics of cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, dispensaries and other cannabis marketplace participants. The company also pursues investment opportunities in the areas of real estate, cultivation, extraction, distribution, packaging, dispensary operations, and branded products within the cannabis space.
The legalization of adult-use sales in California is expected to create nearly 99,000 cannabis industry jobs in the state by 2021, representing about a third of all cannabis jobs nationwide, and 146,000 jobs overall when indirect and induced efforts are considered, according to Arcview Market Research. By 2021, direct cannabis industry employment will top 291,500 FTE jobs, with a total employment effect of nearly 414,000 FTEs across all legal cannabis states, according to the report.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures believes its staffing capabilities will be in a similar state of demand. The company in April 2018 completed a definitive agreement to acquire Worldwide Staffing Group, Inc., which booked approximately $1.5 million in revenues in 2017.
Worldwide will operate within Cannabis Strategic Ventures as an independent and separate wholly owned subsidiary providing strictly non-cannabis related employment and staffing services. As Worldwide continues to expand its operations in general clerical and administrative, marketing, accounting, and other verticals, Cannabis Strategic Ventures will leverage the subsidiary's expertise to expand its business operations further into the cannabis staffing arena, with an emphasis on the California markets.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures' BudHire™ subsidiary is an outsourced employment service specifically designed to meet the needs of growing cannabis-related business operations, utilizes a proven recruiting formula to match the most qualified candidates to a broad spectrum of cannabis-related jobs. Under the BudHire™ brand, Cannabis Strategic Ventures offers temporary, seasonal, permanent staffing solutions, as well as professional employment organization services and human resources consulting to the cannabis industry.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures portfolio also includes Pure Applied Sciences Inc. and its brand "PureOrganix™," a line of high quality concentrate, organic and pure cannabis oils that conform with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and meet FDA guidelines for Active Pharmaceuticals Products (API). The acquisition includes all intellectual properties, including formulations and technologies, and related accessories of Pure Applied Sciences.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures Pure Applied Sciences subsidiary, has a cannabis concentrate extraction services agreement with CP Logistics LLC ("CPL"), a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Sunniva Inc. (CSE:SNN) (OTCQX:SNNVF). Under this agreement, CPL will perform white label services producing high quality, ultra-purified cannabis extracts out of its Sun-Oil Facility in Cathedral City, California, for Pure Applied Sciences under the Pure Organix brand name.
The management team at Cannabis Strategic Ventures believes there is incredible opportunity to carve-out and control specific industry niches, to create unique cannabis consumer branded products, and to expand into other sub-sectors of the cannabis marketplace.
Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX) )
Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX), founded in 2015 and headquartered in Israel, is a technological innovator in automotive vision systems and driver assistance technology. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Foresight Automotive Ltd., Foresight is engaged in the design, development and commercialization of stereo/quad-camera vision systems and V2X cellular-based solutions for the automotive industry based on 3D video analysis, advanced algorithms for image processing and sensor fusion. The company's powerful and patented stereoscopic technology is derived from field-proven technology that has been deployed throughout the world for almost two decades.
Foresight's innovative autonomous driving solutions are based on mature, proprietary stereoscopic image technology that uses two synchronized cameras to mimic human depth perception and produce a three-dimensional image. This 3D image can anticipate possible collisions with other vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and other obstacles. The technology provides highly accurate real-time alerts about the vehicle's surroundings while in motion. The systems are designed to improve driving safety by enabling highly accurate and reliable threat detection while ensuring the lowest rates of false alerts.
The company's patents provide IP protection for its robust and proven proprietary stereoscopic technology, which was developed using the security technology of Foresight's major shareholder, Magna B.S.P.
Foresight has developed three main products:
- QuadSight™. This breakthrough detection system sets the bar for autonomous vehicle vision. It features nearly 100 percent obstacle detection with almost zero false alerts and operates optimally under all weather and lighting conditions, including darkness, rain, fog, haze and glare. QuadSight™ is the first quad-camera multi-spectral vision solution of its kind, driven by advanced and proven image processing algorithms. The system consists of two sets of stereoscopic infra-red and visible-light cameras that enable highly accurate and reliable obstacle detection for seamless 24/7 vision.
- Eyes-On™. This solution uses advanced algorithms for accurate depth analysis and obstacle detection to provide a unique stereo vision Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). It can detect all potential obstacles regardless of shape, form or material, including other vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and animals. It has an accuracy and reliability of almost 100 percent and near zero false alerts.
- Eye-Net™. This is a cellular-based accident prevention solution that is designed to provide real-time pre-collision alerts to vehicles and pedestrians. This proprietary system is deployed on smartphones and cloud-based servers operating on existing cellular networks, and it eliminates the need for additional designated hardware. Eye-Net™ is designed to provide a complementary layer of protection to advanced driver assistance systems and extends this protection to road users who are not in direct line of sight. It is optimally designed for both urban environments and high-speed scenarios to provide protection for the most vulnerable road users. On March 28, 2018, Foresight announced that it had completed a successful feasibility study of its Eye-Net™ accident prevention solution involving 120 users of Android and iOS cell phones located across Israel.
In 2017, Foresight sought more opportunities within the international market. The Company signed pilot agreements with three leading car manufacturers in China and completed pilot projects meeting all pre-defined requirements and criteria. In addition, FRSX completed a pilot project with Uniti Sweden.
Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety continue to emphasize the dramatic reduction in accidents and injury-related crashes reported when vehicles are equipped with collision avoidance systems. A recent study by the Institute states that the rate of single-vehicle, sideswipe and head-on crashes was 11 percent lower in vehicles with the warning systems. More importantly, the study shows collision avoidance technology cut the rates of injury crashes of the same type by 21 percent.
Foresight Autonomous Holdings, Inc. also holds a 32 percent interest in RailVision, a company that develops advanced systems for railway safety and maintenance. RailVision has successfully completed 13 tests in Israel, Germany, Italy and Switzerland in addition to a real-time system test with a European railway operator. Over the course of 2017, RailVision successfully completed rounds of financing totaling $5.8 million and started the process of licensing the system according to European standards.
Haim Siboni is the founder of Foresight and has served as the company's chief executive officer and director since 2015. Siboni, a passionate entrepreneur, has an extensive background in the marketing and business management sectors in the fields of electronics, video, TV, multimedia, computerized systems, line and wireless telecommunication, design and development of systems and devices, including electro-optic radar systems. He is the founder and CEO of Magna B.S.P., Foresight's major shareholder and a leading innovator in the field of homeland security surveillance solutions.
Hunter Oil Corp.
(TSX.V: HOC) (OTCQX: HOILF)
Hunter Oil Corp. (TSX.V: HOC) (OTCQX: HOILF) ("Hunter Oil" or the "Company") is an oil and gas exploration, development and production company. The Company's corporate headquarters are located in Vancouver, British Columbia, and its operational headquarters are in Houston, Texas. Along with its subsidiaries, Hunter Oil is engaged in acquisition, development, operation, and exploitation of crude oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin in eastern New Mexico. The Company owns and operates two large, proven oil fields – the Chaveroo and Milnesand San Andres fields – with a total acreage position of over 23,000 acres that are essentially contiguous. Hunter Oil's operations involve re-accessing the existing reservoirs and developing the resource by utilizing contemporary completion techniques and proven unconventional recovery technologies.
First developed in the 1950s and 1960s using vertical well production technology, the Chaveroo and Milnesand fields produced 40 million barrels or only a fraction of the original oil in place, leaving behind significant recoverable reserves. Hunter Oil plans to unlock the value in these resource-rich fields by leveraging existing infrastructure, lowering operating costs and increasing efficiencies of its operations. By exploiting the pre-existing infrastructure at these proven, legacy assets, Hunter Oil is poised to capitalize on a significantly reduced exploration and finding cost threshold that enables profitability. Net present value of its reserves in these fields, discounted at 10 percent, is estimated at US$829.7 million as disclosed in the company's year-end 2017 reserve report(1).
The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Ridgeway Arizona Oil Corp., recently received drilling permits for five wells in its Chaveroo oil field. Hunter Oil intends to develop the Chaveroo reserves by drilling up to 84 horizontal wells. These permits represent the first group of wells to be drilled in the planned program and mark a significant milestone. During the past three years, the Company has readied the two oil fields for their next phase of exploitation via infill horizontal redevelopment.
The planned wells will target the San Andres formation at approximately 4,500' TVD (true vertical depth) and will be one-mile-long horizontal wells. The Chaveroo oil field has reserves targeted for exploitation of 22 MMBOE (million barrels of oil equivalent) consisting of Proved Undeveloped reserves of 8.4 MMBOE, Probable reserves of 3.4 MMBOE, and Possible reserves of 10.2 MMBOE, as disclosed in the Company's year-end 2017 reserve report(1).
Hunter Oil's management team has decades of experience in oil production, both internationally and domestically, allowing for a greater understanding of operating assets on both state and federally regulated lands. Al H. Denson, P.E., recently appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Hunter Oil Corp., is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers with more than 40 years of exploration and production experience. He began his career in 1976 with Amoco Corporation (now BP), where he served in various engineering, operational and management roles, both in the U.S. and internationally. Mr. Denson, who served as a director and member of the Company's Operating Committee from 2014 to 2017, earned both a Bachelor's degree and Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering from Mississippi State University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Louisiana.
As a believer in corporate responsibility, Hunter Oil is committed to safe and responsible exploration and development practices that reflect a thoughtful awareness of the impact its operations have on the environment and community. Hunter Oil's mission is to bring environmental, social and economic value to all of its stakeholders.
(1) This information is a summary only and readers are referred to the Company's news release dated April 26, 2018 for further details, as well as to the evaluation of the Company's reserves conducted by independent qualified reserves evaluator, Cawley, Gillespie & Associates, Inc., effective December 31, 2017 which is available at www.sedar.com.
Marijuana Company of America Inc.
(OTC: MCOA)
The founders of Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) (the "Company") are pioneers in the cannabis industry going back to 2009 when Don Steinberg, MCOA's CEO, founded the first marijuana company ever to trade on a U.S. stock market, Medical Marijuana Inc. Since then, Don and his partner, Charlie Larsen, have formed Global Hemp Group and Marijuana Company of America. They have experienced the shift of legislation first hand, not only for the legalization of marijuana but also the emerging hemp-based CBD products.
The CBD market is growing exponentially and consequently the founders of MCOA have constructed their business model around the development of industrial hemp-based CBD products. The industrial hemp plant can be used to produce products that are carbon neutral or even carbon negative. It is one of the longest, strongest natural fibers on earth, used as a building material that is free of mold, pesticide-resistant, and fire proof. Hemp has also been described as a "super food," which provides additional business opportunities. No part of the plant is left unused and the Company's overall strategy is to take advantage of every profit center from farm to the multiple valuable finished products.
The cannabis and hemp industries are experiencing unprecedented growth that is expected to continue for many years as these industries are now accepted globally and continue to mature and expand. North American consumers spent $6.7 billion on legal cannabis products in 2016, up 34% from 2015's $5 billion. This trend is widely expected to explode at a 27% compounded annual growth rate to reach $22.6 billion by 2021, according to ArcView Market Research.
The company offers investors the opportunity to be on the forefront of cannabis and hemp innovation through cultivation, processing in the legal cannabis and industrial hemp sectors. The Company's business model includes producing a diverse portfolio of synergistic business segments that provide value to its shareholders. Its vertically integrated business model and distribution platforms are positioned to capture market share by developing recognizable and valuable brands.
Under the MCOA umbrella, wholly owned subsidiary hempSMART™, Inc. is committed to bringing high quality CBD-based products to the market through its affiliate marketing program. Through hempSMART, MCOA's strategic approach to the distribution of products is through a networking architecture geared to maintain customer loyalty and capture market share. The patent-pending product "hempSMART Brain," is designed to revolutionize the safe and effective support of healthy brain function. The brand new product, HempSMART DROPS, is a full-spectrum CBD tincture formulated with hemp and fractionated coconut oils. The hempSMART marketing team has decades of experience, and is well positioned to take the hempSMART brand to a global audience.
Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF)
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with operations offices in southern California, Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF) is a premium food and beverage company that develops CBD-infused functional foods, beverages and supplements poised for global distribution. All products in the Phivida label are infused with organic, hemp-derived cannabinoids into a variety of premium foods, beverages and clinical products for everyday health. Phivida is guided by a team of Fortune 500-caliber executives focused on a new strategic portfolio of products and brands, comprehensive consumer research, new product and brand development, improved visual identity and packaging design, and a strong distribution strategy.
The company's motto – "Celebrating Health and Wellness, in Harmony™" – underscores Phivida's mission to lead the alternative health care sector as the benchmark standard in premium CBD-infused functional beverages and tinctures. To execute this goal, Phivida is taking advantage of positive legislative developments in the United States and has defined an elevated national route-to-market strategy across the U.S. where small regional distributors will be now be replaced with large national distributors.
Management
Phivida's management team includes president and CEO Jim Bailey, former president of Red Bull Canada and global chief marketing officer for Merrell Outdoors; Chief Marketing Officer Michael Cornwell, former chief marketing officer for Samsung New Zealand and the former director of marketing for Red Bull Canada; and Doug Campbell, former director of sales for Red Bull North America, who as Phivida's chief commercial officer is tasked with driving new sales revenue growth.
Publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE.VIDA) and recently graduated to the OTCQX Best Market in the USA (OTCQX.PHVAF), the company's strong balance sheet carries CAD$15.7 million with no debt or loans with less than 60 million shares outstanding and the company is now well-capitalized to fun major mainstream distribution with a solid structure poised for long-term growth.
The Science
Using encapsulation technology, Phivida uses full spectrum CBD-hemp oil (rich in naturally occurring phytocannabinoids) converted into a water-soluble delivery format, which enhances delivery and absorption of the cannabinoids into the human body – up to an estimated tenfold.
Encapsulated CBD is infused into functional beverages, food and supplements containing a proprietary blend of phytonutraceuticals studied to target a range of health and wellness conditions. Phivida tests every product for microbials, heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents, terpenes, and potency to guarantee less than 0.3 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for a euphoric high) is present.
Regulations
Federally legal under the 2014 Farm Bill, CBD from Hemp Oil is a rapid growth market across the USA. When derived from marijuana, CBD remains a schedule one controlled substances, giving hemp derived CBD oil infused products a competitive advantage on regulations. On June 28, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (i.e. the "Farm Bill), lifting the USA Industrial Hemp laws to an agricultural commodity status and effectively removed hemp from the controlled substance list.
Earlier this year, another milestone court ruling also provided significant regulatory support for the US CBD-Hemp sector. In February 2018, the Supreme Court preceded over the HIA (Hemp Industry Association) vs. DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) in a class-action suit concerning the issue of CBD extracted from hemp, and the legality of industrial hemp. In the final ruling the Supreme Court unequivocally determined that – when produced domestically under the Farm Bill – hemp (and its derivatives) are not a controlled substance.
The Supreme Court ruling also found the Farm Bill (as it relates to hemp) "pre-empts" the Controlled Substances Act. Congress has since exempted Farm Bill hemp from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) giving the Farm Bill primary jurisdiction over the governance of the CBD-Hemp Oil industry in the USA.
The DEA further conceded it does not "seek to control cannabinoids," and that only marijuana derived cannabinoids are governed under the Controlled Substances Act. In May of 2018, the DEA issued a formal directive to all federal agencies (e.g. US Customs and Border Patrol) stating that cannabinoids are not controlled substances unless derived from marijuana, and that the "mere presence of cannabinoids" in any product or derivative does not render it a controlled substance. The Supreme Court ruling also resulted in the mediation of a settlement in what is now the third successful HIA vs. DEA suit in over a decade.
In Canada, the Senate approval of Bill C-45 legalized the production, distribution and use of recreation cannabis – with edibles to be added in 2019. The bill will officially become law as of October 17, 2018, creating a legal framework for the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis across Canada including cannabinoid-infused beverages.
3 Wholly Owned Subsidiaries
- Phivida Organics Inc. offers professional-grade, wholesale, whole plant hemp oil extracts made from 100-percent certified organic hemp stalk. Phivida's hemp oil extracts are CO2-extracted under quality assurance/clinical standards and are third-party lab tested to assure only pharmaceutical grade, cGMP certified, full-spectrum products are produced and available for sale. Phivida Organics produces hemp oil extracts that deliver nano-encapsulated cannabinoids in water soluble formulations designed to be absorbed up to 10 times faster than other oils, providing up to 400 percent bioavailability. Phivida Hemp Oil Vida+ extract products are available now online at www.Phivida.com.
- Phivida Nutrition blends the best of nature into CBD-infused lifestyle branded beverages including a variety of CBD infused iced teas and CBD infused flavored waters.
- Phivida Enhanced – Under the VIDA brand, CBD-infused tinctures, capsules and other supplement products are distributed to alternative health care clinics across the USA.
WeedMD-Phivida
Phivida has signed a binding letter of intent to joint venture WeedMD Inc. (TSX-V: WMD) (OTC:WDDMF) (FSE:4WE), a Health Canada federally licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis, to form a joint venture focused on cannabis-infused beverages. The new joint-venture company, Cannabis Beverages Inc. ("CanBev"), plans to develop a production facility at WeedMD's state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. CanBev is on track to build and operate the first cannabis-infused beverage production facilities in Canada. The joint venture will focus on manufacturing, marketing and distribution of cannabinoid-infused beverages for the legalized medical and adult-use cannabis markets.
Management from both WeedMD and Phivida are collaborating on design and engineering strategies and site evaluations on a 610,000-square-foot, state-of-the art facility in Strathroy for the development of CanBev. As an emerging certified food grade production plant, the Strathroy facility is an ideal location and comes is equipped with extensive production infrastructure, including 50,000 sq. ft. of food production and packaging area, cold storage, loading docks, and adequate space to expand for future growth.
Strategic Agreements
Phivida Organics has also entered into an agreement to carry out a pharmacokinetic (PK) study on its hemp-derived, nanoencapsulated CBD with Artelo Biosciences Inc. at the University of Nottingham, School of Medicine at the Royal Derby Hospital, England. The study will test encapsulated-CBD on healthy volunteers and measure how fast and how much CBD enters the blood stream after oral consumption with each of the different formulations developed by Phivida Organics.
Phivida has also activated distribution agreements with Asayake Inc. to become one of the first federally approved CBD-infused food and supplement brands in Japan. With first mover status achieved, Phivida now markets to an underserved, yet highly informed population of 127 million patients and practitioners. The supplement market in Japan is estimated at US$10 billion with the overall functional foods market at US$21 billion. The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market for natural plant-based supplements. Phivida now plans to prepare a formal application to Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency to register the company's CBD-infused functional food and beverage products for approval under the country's Food with Functional Claims regime. The functional beverage market in Japan is estimated at US$10.35 billion with a CAGR of 2.5 percent (2015-2025).
Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc.
(OTCQB: VRCP)
Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), is a technology company dedicated to making cryptocurrencies accessible to the public, specifically by creating payment solutions for businesses and consumers which combine Application Programming Interfaces and Mobile Applications, for implementation across ATM's, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices (www.virtual-crypto.com).
The company's proprietary algorithmic technology trading platform, utilized in it's product line called NetoBit, can instantaneously confirm the purchase or sale of Bitcoin, a process that typically can take between 10 minutes to 24 hours. All trades and exchanges are insured up to $3,000 per trade.
The global market for ATM machines that allow transactions in cryptocurrencies is forecast to increase from its 2017 valuation of $14 million to surpass $285.1 million by 2025 with a CAGR of 45.8 percent, according to market researcher Coherent News (http://nnw.fm/N867q), but only about a third of the machines currently allow two-way trades.
With NetoBit, cryptocurrency holders enjoy immediate confirmation of Bitcoin and its crypto equivalents at the best crypto exchange rate at the point of transaction – providing a major breakthrough in the quest to bring cryptocurrencies to the mass market. Virtual Crypto's cryptocurrency ATM, embedded with currency exchange transaction validation (CETV) in its hardware and software, accepts and dispenses cash and cryptocurrency in seconds.
Virtual Crypto's NetoBit ATM and retail point-of-sale, NetoBit Pay, incorporates advanced technologies tailored to the needs of primary market players, users, investors, and business owners. Virtual Crypto's platform bridges the three main functions of the cryptocurrency sector – exchanges, wallets and payments – to the world of fiat exchanges, granting access to immediate cash exchanges between consumers and businesses worldwide.
NetoBit'sover-the-counter, two-way transaction solution is available through one app, providing online cryptocurrency transactions at ecommerce and gaming portals. The app provides real-time cryptocurrency validation and exchange, easy buying and selling of Bitcoin , enables traders to buy and trade crypto, and gamers to transfer cryptocurrency into cash after play. Crypto users can withdraw funds from their crypto accounts through a NetoBit cryptocurrency ATM or software-enabled tablet, and consumers can purchase retail with crypto from businesses that offer and use the NetoBit software.
The company's newly redesigned corporate website, www.virtual-crypto.com, delivers a simple, clean design with enhanced functionality, features and navigation. Virtual Crypto's new corporate website includes:
- Media room with downloadable product brochures, corporate presentations, product demo's and other relevant content
- Investor's page provides transparency to investors with direct access to Virtual Crypto's progress through press releases, SEC filings, senior management team bios, and stock performance charts
- Downloadable NetoBit app link and contact forms for more information
- MarketWatch provides real-time tracking of the Bitcoin market, with other currencies to follow
- Improved security utilizing https certificates to protect personal information and site integrity
- Social Media integration with buttons for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook jump to Virtual Crypto's social media profiles, providing real-time updates from the online community
"Our primary objective is to make cryptocurrencies accessible to everyone, and that was the motivation for our redesign," said Alon Dayan, Chief Executive Officer of Virtual Crypto. "The updated content provides real value for our customers, shareholders and employees, showcasing our products and services, in an intuitive, easy to navigate way."
Virtual Crypto's strategic vision of "Cryptocurrency Made Easy" allows crypto traders and users to overcome the complex hurdles currently hampering the cryptocurrency sphere.
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