The MiningNewsWire Podcast

Food waste is a major problem at multiple levels, whether it has to do with the consumer, supply chain, grocery or, ultimately at the food’s end of life, landfill. It’s a problem that all too often goes ignored, unnoticed and underserved, contributing negatively to food security, the environment and even climate change. The amount of food waste in America alone is simply mind numbing, weighing in at 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010. That means 31% of all food produced annually is wasted. As a subcategory, 644 million tons of fruit and vegetables, or 42% of total supply, is wasted annually. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) joined with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to cut U.S. food waste by 50% by the year 2030. That seems an obtainable goal when technology combines with focus and support. Technology efforts include natural solutions to increase food longevity offered by agri-food-tech Save Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: SVFD) (Profile); focused efforts include governmental support such as that offered by the USDA and EPA, as well as industry assistance coming from major grocery chains such as Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. (TSX: L) (OTC: LBLCF).

Food waste is a major problem at multiple levels, whether it has to do with the consumer, supply chain, grocery or, ultimately at the food’s end of life, landfill. It’s a problem that all too often goes ignored, unnoticed and underserved, contributing negatively to food security, the environment and even climate change. The amount of food waste in America alone is simply mind numbing, weighing in at 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010. That means 31% of all food produced annually is wasted. As a subcategory, 644 million tons of fruit and vegetables, or 42% of total supply, is wasted annually. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) joined with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to cut U.S. food waste by 50% by the year 2030. That seems an obtainable goal when technology combines with focus and support. Technology efforts include natural solutions to increase food longevity offered by agri-food-tech Save Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: SVFD) (Profile); focused efforts include governmental support such as that offered by the USDA and EPA, as well as industry assistance coming from major grocery chains such as Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. (TSX: L) (OTC: LBLCF).

In May 2013, GW Pharma listed on Nasdaq, selling 3.5 million shares at $8.90 each to investors betting that GW was charting a profitable course as a biotech developing new drugs from cannabis-derived compounds. Legal cannabis was only beginning to gain momentum at that time, and while countless companies saturated the market as would-be growers, distributors, etc., GW was taking a more difficult route of drug development with much greater upside if successful. The strategy paid off as the company received FDA approval for the first-ever cannabis-based drug in June 2018. There are some notable similarities between the evolution of the legal cannabis market a decade ago and the current status of psychedelics, longtime illicit drugs that are now being evaluated for their therapeutic potential by a handful of upstart companies. San Diego-based Tryp Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: TRYP) (OTCQB: TRYPF) (Profile) stands out, not only for its still-small valuation but also because it has a successful management team that, much like GW, is charting its own course in the space. Major investors have not been shy about speculating that biotech is going to produce some psychedelic-derived blockbusters, as evidenced by the attention given to COMPASS Pathways Plc (NASDAQ: CMPS), Mind Medicine (“MindMed”) Inc. (NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED) (DE: MMQ) and newly public ATAI Life Sciences N.V. (NASDAQ: ATAI), any one of which could do for psychedelics what GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH) did for cannabis before being acquired in February by Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: JAZZ) for $7.2 billion.

There’s plenty of prattle out there about global warming and sustainable energy, most of which is unrealistic and lacking in real-world achievability. As it stands now, the world is aligned to fall demonstrably short of a unitary goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Indeed, there are many noble intentions underscoring proposals to curb CO2 emissions, but the economic cost and technological challenges make it more platitude than practical. Last month, the International Energy Agency (“IEA”) issued a comprehensive and actionable plan to cap the global temperature rise to 1.5°C by mid-century without upending energy stability, accessibility or pricing. IEA covers it all and lays out how renewable energies in combination with nuclear power will become the dominant energy sources across the planet even amid a growing global population. The transition is inevitable for the planet’s survival, and there are ways to capitalize on this titanic transformation in the energy sector. In the United States, Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSE American: UEC) (Profile) is a  leading player in low-cost and environmentally friendly in-situ recovery (“ISR”) mining of uranium, the essential element that fuels nuclear energy. There are exchange-traded funds, namely iShares S&P Global Clean Energy Index Fund (NASDAQ: ICLN) and direct plays such as First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA). For those preferring a different approach to the EV space, a close look at top copper producer Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) may be in order.

There’s plenty of prattle out there about global warming and sustainable energy, most of which is unrealistic and lacking in real-world achievability. As it stands now, the world is aligned to fall demonstrably short of a unitary goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Indeed, there are many noble intentions underscoring proposals to curb CO2 emissions, but the economic cost and technological challenges make it more platitude than practical. Last month, the International Energy Agency (“IEA”) issued a comprehensive and actionable plan to cap the global temperature rise to 1.5°C by mid-century without upending energy stability, accessibility or pricing. IEA covers it all and lays out how renewable energies in combination with nuclear power will become the dominant energy sources across the planet even amid a growing global population. The transition is inevitable for the planet’s survival, and there are ways to capitalize on this titanic transformation in the energy sector. In the United States, Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSE American: UEC) (Profile) is a  leading player in low-cost and environmentally friendly in-situ recovery (“ISR”) mining of uranium, the essential element that fuels nuclear energy. There are exchange-traded funds, namely iShares S&P Global Clean Energy Index Fund (NASDAQ: ICLN) and direct plays such as First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA). For those preferring a different approach to the EV space, a close look at top copper producer Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) may be in order.

Even though medical marijuana had been legal in some U.S. states for more than a decade, the substance didn’t gain much recognition until Colorado set the market on its head in 2012 by making adult-use marijuana legal. Since then, other states have followed suit, while in 2018, Canada went all-in to become the first developed nation with weed legalized at the federal level. Not surprisingly, North American companies and investors were tripping over themselves trying to capitalize on the massive burgeoning market. In all market segments, plenty of lessons were learned as everyone from companies to investors to lawmakers worked to organize a brand new market; lessons that the new generation of multistate operators such as Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) (Profile) have leveraged to more efficiently execute their business models. RWB is following in the footsteps of large first movers such as Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF), Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) and Cresco Labs (CSE: CL) (OTCQX: CRLBF), companies that survived the early days to hold valuations in the billions of dollars.

Even though medical marijuana had been legal in some U.S. states for more than a decade, the substance didn’t gain much recognition until Colorado set the market on its head in 2012 by making adult-use marijuana legal. Since then, other states have followed suit, while in 2018, Canada went all-in to become the first developed nation with weed legalized at the federal level. Not surprisingly, North American companies and investors were tripping over themselves trying to capitalize on the massive burgeoning market. In all market segments, plenty of lessons were learned as everyone from companies to investors to lawmakers worked to organize a brand new market; lessons that the new generation of multistate operators such as Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) (Profile) have leveraged to more efficiently execute their business models. RWB is following in the footsteps of large first movers such as Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF), Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) and Cresco Labs (CSE: CL) (OTCQX: CRLBF), companies that survived the early days to hold valuations in the billions of dollars.

Emaginos, a company in the business of transforming K-12 public education, announces that it has been featured in a broadcast via NetworkNewsAudio (NNA), a solution that delivers additional visibility, recognition and brand awareness in the investment community via distribution to thousands of syndication points. The audio press release covers the recent announcement regarding the filing of a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for its proprietary EdManage platform, an analytics platform that aggregates and analyzes all of a school district’s data to deliver actionable information to users throughout the system.

To read the original press release, visit: https://www.nnw.fm/oYbV8

Emaginos, a company in the business of transforming K-12 public education, announces that it has been featured in a broadcast via NetworkNewsAudio (NNA), a solution that delivers additional visibility, recognition and brand awareness in the investment community via distribution to thousands of syndication points. The audio press release covers the recent announcement regarding the filing of a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for its proprietary EdManage platform, an analytics platform that aggregates and analyzes all of a school district’s data to deliver actionable information to users throughout the system.

To read the original press release, visit: https://www.nnw.fm/oYbV8

FuelPositive Corporation (TSX.V: NHHH) (OTC: NHHHF) (“FuelPositive” or the “Company”), a growth-stage company focused on licensing, partnership and acquisition opportunities building upon various technological achievements, announces that it has been featured in a broadcast via NetworkNewsAudio (NNA), a solution that delivers additional visibility, recognition and brand awareness in the investment community via distribution to thousands of syndication points. The audio press release covers the recent announcement regarding the filing of a patent application for the Company’s “Modular Transportable Clean Hydrogen-Ammonia Maker” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (U.S. provisional patent application number: 63197884).

To read the original press release, visit: https://www.nnw.fm/BTvqF

FuelPositive Corporation (TSX.V: NHHH) (OTC: NHHHF) (“FuelPositive” or the “Company”), a growth-stage company focused on licensing, partnership and acquisition opportunities building upon various technological achievements, announces that it has been featured in a broadcast via NetworkNewsAudio (NNA), a solution that delivers additional visibility, recognition and brand awareness in the investment community via distribution to thousands of syndication points. The audio press release covers the recent announcement regarding the filing of a patent application for the Company’s “Modular Transportable Clean Hydrogen-Ammonia Maker” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (U.S. provisional patent application number: 63197884).

To read the original press release, visit: https://www.nnw.fm/BTvqF

Last year changed the world in unexpected ways, as people and businesses looked to keep moving forward in the face of a global coronavirus pandemic. In many instances, COVID-19 simply accelerated the inevitable, such as trends towards digitization while lockdown orders were in place. Perhaps the most significant example was in education, where students from grade school to college went 100% virtual for the first time in history. Education technology, or edtech, is a hot trend that, even as the pandemic wanes, isn’t showing any signs of slowing among today’s generation of digitally native learners, as evidenced by analyst forecast and upstarts such as Nextech AR Solutions Corp. (CSE: NTAR) (OTCQB: NEXCF) (Profile), which is partnering with juggernaut Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) for solutions to transform higher education. As it happens, Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Coursera Inc. (NYSE: COUR) have also dedicated considerable resources reimaging education and democratizing learning for everyone, everywhere.

Last year changed the world in unexpected ways, as people and businesses looked to keep moving forward in the face of a global coronavirus pandemic. In many instances, COVID-19 simply accelerated the inevitable, such as trends towards digitization while lockdown orders were in place. Perhaps the most significant example was in education, where students from grade school to college went 100% virtual for the first time in history. Education technology, or edtech, is a hot trend that, even as the pandemic wanes, isn’t showing any signs of slowing among today’s generation of digitally native learners, as evidenced by analyst forecast and upstarts such as Nextech AR Solutions Corp. (CSE: NTAR) (OTCQB: NEXCF) (Profile), which is partnering with juggernaut Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) for solutions to transform higher education. As it happens, Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Coursera Inc. (NYSE: COUR) have also dedicated considerable resources reimaging education and democratizing learning for everyone, everywhere.

XPhyto Therapeutics (CSE: XPHY) (OTCQB: XPHYF) (FSE: 4XT), (“XPhyto” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its GMP mescaline synthesis program is on schedule with the completion of initial production batches. The industrial scale manufacture of pharmaceutical grade psychedelic compounds, including mescaline and psilocybin, is an important part of XPhyto’s psychedelic medicine program and will provide a foundation for its drug formulation and clinical validation work.

To read the original press release, visit: https://nnw.fm/dcaCA

XPhyto Therapeutics (CSE: XPHY) (OTCQB: XPHYF) (FSE: 4XT), (“XPhyto” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its GMP mescaline synthesis program is on schedule with the completion of initial production batches. The industrial scale manufacture of pharmaceutical grade psychedelic compounds, including mescaline and psilocybin, is an important part of XPhyto’s psychedelic medicine program and will provide a foundation for its drug formulation and clinical validation work.

To read the original press release, visit: https://nnw.fm/dcaCA

After a sluggish start to 2020, merger and acquisition activity in the food and beverage industry survived COVID-19 and picked up in H2, with 136 of the year’s 222 transactions closing after June last year. Total transaction value for the year was $13.8 billion, only slightly lower than 2019. Despite the lingering pandemic, consolidation continues in the industry and deal flow has returned to a torrid pace, creating an exceptionally attractive market climate for The Alkaline Water Company Inc. (NASDAQ: WTER)(CSE: WTER) (Profile), the U.S.’s largest independent alkaline water company, and its Alkaline88(R) brand, which is now endorsed by Shaquille O’Neal, NBA Hall of Famer and Papa John’s International (NASDAQ: PZZA) board member. Last years’ action included growth equity investor PowerPlant Ventures buying ZICO coconut water from Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and Nestle SA (OTC: NSRGY) acquiring Essentia Water for an estimated $1 billion, a strategic move to strengthen its value-added water business to compete with brands like PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which bolstered its water portfolio with the acquisition of SodaStream in 2018. Only slightly stunted by the pandemic in 2020, M&A in the food and beverage industry should accelerate as competition among majors intensifies and suitable targets dwindle.

With the onset of the digital universe over the last decades, music has been steadily devalued with a race to the bottom pricing to give subscribers access to massive databases of music. Pandemic social shutdowns were another blow to musicians, who now couldn’t even generate revenue from live performances. In recent months, the emergence of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are breathing life into the industry as musicians are getting creative with ways to generate revenue and better connect with fans. An NFT is, in essence, a collectible digital asset, which holds value as a form of cryptocurrency and as a form of art or culture, and offers artists the ability to monetize their art or music. Music DeFi pioneer BAND Royalty (Profile) is taking NFTs to the next level by structuring them with the opportunity to access royalties from its constantly growing library of soundtracks. Just as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) shook up the music industry with their subscription services and exclusive content, NFTs are being hailed as the next great disruptor, which would likely benefit Riot Blockchain Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT), Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ: COIN) and others already deep in the cryptocurrency and blockchain markets.

With the onset of the digital universe over the last decades, music has been steadily devalued with a race to the bottom pricing to give subscribers access to massive databases of music. Pandemic social shutdowns were another blow to musicians, who now couldn’t even generate revenue from live performances. In recent months, the emergence of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are breathing life into the industry as musicians are getting creative with ways to generate revenue and better connect with fans. An NFT is, in essence, a collectible digital asset, which holds value as a form of cryptocurrency and as a form of art or culture, and offers artists the ability to monetize their art or music. Music DeFi pioneer BAND Royalty (Profile) is taking NFTs to the next level by structuring them with the opportunity to access royalties from its constantly growing library of soundtracks. Just as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) shook up the music industry with their subscription services and exclusive content, NFTs are being hailed as the next great disruptor, which would likely benefit Riot Blockchain Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT), Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ: COIN) and others already deep in the cryptocurrency and blockchain markets.

After a sluggish start to 2020, merger and acquisition activity in the food and beverage industry survived COVID-19 and picked up in H2, with 136 of the year’s 222 transactions closing after June last year. Total transaction value for the year was $13.8 billion, only slightly lower than 2019. Despite the lingering pandemic, consolidation continues in the industry and deal flow has returned to a torrid pace, creating an exceptionally attractive market climate for The Alkaline Water Company Inc. (NASDAQ: WTER)(CSE: WTER) (Profile), the U.S.’s largest independent alkaline water company, and its Alkaline88(R) brand, which is now endorsed by Shaquille O’Neal, NBA Hall of Famer and Papa John’s International (NASDAQ: PZZA) board member. Last years’ action included growth equity investor PowerPlant Ventures buying ZICO coconut water from Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and Nestle SA (OTC: NSRGY) acquiring Essentia Water for an estimated $1 billion, a strategic move to strengthen its value-added water business to compete with brands like PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which bolstered its water portfolio with the acquisition of SodaStream in 2018. Only slightly stunted by the pandemic in 2020, M&A in the food and beverage industry should accelerate as competition among majors intensifies and suitable targets dwindle.

Nextech AR Solutions Corp. (CSE: NTAR) (OTCQB: NEXCF) (NEO: NTAR) (FSE: N29) (“Nextech” or the “Company”) (OTCQB: NEXCF) (NEO: NTAR) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE: N29) on May 12th, 2021 released a new innovation to deliver great customer experiences at scale, with the power of Augmented Reality (“AR”). Nextech AR “LiveX” the Company’s Digital Experience Platform is an open and extensible platform that enables Augmented Digital Experiences, AR E-Commerce, AR Advertising, and AR Products. Innovations include AR capabilities, general availability of AR Livestreaming Holograms, real-time customer data analytics, as well as new ways to personalize and deliver impactful digital and hybrid experiences. The Company’s AR Innovation Labs team is also currently working on NFT technology for the Augmented Reality experiences on LiveX.

To view the full press release, visit https://nnw.fm/0KtYd