MissionIR Small-Cap Investor Blog

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Biostage (BSTG) CEO Updates Shareholders

In a letter from Jim McGorry, CEO of Biostage, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSTG), shareholders were updated on the company’s valuation and the outlook for the second half of 2016. Biostage is a Massachusetts-based developer of bioengineered organ implants for treating life-threatening diseases of the esophagus, bronchus, and trachea, including cancer.

McGorry explained that Biostage has made “tremendous progress” in developing the company’s breakthrough Cellframe™ technology for creating Cellspan™ organ implants using a patient’s own stem cells and a proprietary biocompatible scaffold. As a result, the company is now able to transition, over the remainder of 2016, toward the start of human clinical trials, the first step of which is the filing of an investigational new drug application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. McGorry explained how the company took the appropriate time to ensure its product’s safety and efficacy, while remaining on schedule for the planned filing by the end of 2016.

Biostage announced in May successful results from their large-animal studies of the Cellspan Esophageal Implant, conducted in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic. McGorry explained how the data obtained will form the basis for the company’s FDA application, seeking orphan designation for the product, and how Biostage is currently working on getting the results published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, which will “greatly support and validate” the company’s progress. He added that anticipated progress over the second half of the year is expected to present “potential value inflection moments for shareholders.”

McGorry explained that Biostage’s recent $5 million at-the-market offering was an important step in solidifying the company’s cash position and addressing any market concerns in this area. He concluded, “We now have the capital to get us through a number of milestones in 2016 including the filing of an IND, and we expect to move into human clinical trials in 2017,” adding, “we believe the company’s momentum, liquidity and value should substantially increase,” and that “by this time next year our esophageal implant will be in a human clinical trial”. Biostage plans to follow this first esophageal product candidate with additional products to address life-threatening conditions of the bronchus and trachea.

For more on Biostage, visit www.biostage.com

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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

eXp World Holdings, Inc. (EXPI) Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ Model Continues To Produce Impressive Bottom-Line & Engagement Results

The good news just keeps rolling in for eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI), with Q1 revenues reported last month up a handsome 106 percent year-over-year, and, now, back-to-back recognition for the company’s primary subsidiary, eXp Realty, by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as the number four digital draw of 2015, The Washington Post. Hailed for the second straight year by the Top Workplaces program, the ingeniousness of eXp Realty’s fusion of an agent-owned, full-service real estate brokerage, empowered by a real-time cloud office virtual environment, is now really starting to turn heads in the industry. This latest accolade is living proof of how compelling the company’s business model is and how rewarding the value proposition is for both agents and brokers.

The Top Workplaces program results are based on direct feedback from workplace members and represent a high-fidelity look into the health of eXp Realty’s thriving business culture, whose virtualized, broker-friendly, agent-owner centricity has considerable potential when it comes to fundamentally disrupting the real estate brokerage industry as we have known it. Given that The Washington Post was number four last year in terms of digital draw and recently surged to some 76 million monthly users, this kind of exposure is precisely the kind of thing the company needs to get the word out to a wider investing audience, especially considering how eXp Realty came in 12th out of 165 honorees in the Atlanta area and was ranked 20th best workplace overall in Washington in a survey conducted with the help of premier employee feedback and performance improvement solutions provider WorkplaceDynamics.

The concept of eXp Realty’s Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ is an idea whose time has come. Supercharged by an extremely aggressive revenue sharing platform that rewards agents for new agents they bring into the network, paying out a percentage of their colleagues’ gross commission, this 21st century brokerage platform eradicates demographic barriers and puts a virtual cloud office into the hands of every agent. The fact that this revolutionary, agent-centric model is backed up by a cutting-edge cloud office, which is available around the clock in real-time, is a major reason the formula has been successful, particularly when it comes to a happy agent force. The company has swelled its ranks to nearly 1,300 agents in what seems like no time, and its army now spans 38 states in the continental U.S., as well as Alberta, Canada. This growing legion of unshackled agents continues steadily gaining traction among the huge number of agents that make up the overall pool, largely on the strength of its seemingly ideal and wholly-fresh approach to the space.

EXPI has even managed to branch out into the loan origination game via its First Cloud Mortgage subsidiary, which is already licensed in Arizona, California, and New Mexico. This bold move shows how successful the company’s agent-owned model truly is, and it is a shrewd play by EXPI going further into a 2016 market characterized by an increasing inflow of international capital and moderate home price growth. If we look at the underlying firm and office affiliations of realtors that are mapped out by the National Association of REALTORS® 2016 NAR Member Profile, we see that just over half are affiliated with an independent company, and around 86 percent of all members profiled were independent contractors.

Hopefully, savvy investors can appreciate what EXPI is doing here, spreading a viral model that empowers agents logistically and financially within an environment where localization is key. This distributed approach not only makes the agents happier, but it allows the entire network to flex dynamically, responding as regional markets ebb and flow. This makes sense for agent and broker alike, constituting a supreme value proposition in either case.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

Monday, June 20, 2016

eXp World Holdings, Inc. (EXPI) Subsidiary Recognized as Top Workplace by Two Major Newspapers

Earlier today, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) announced that its subsidiary, eXp Realty, has been listed among the best places to work by The Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The award marks the second consecutive year in which eXp Realty has been recognized as one of the best places to work in Atlanta, where it placed 12th out of 165 honorees. In Washington, eXp Realty was listed in the top 20 based on surveys conducted by both the Post and its partner, Workplace Dynamics.

“This is a tremendous honor for the agent-owners who are on our team,” David Harbour, leader of eXp Realty’s Washington, DC, metro region, stated in today’s news release. “This award speaks to the collaborative, engaging and rewarding environment of our company, not just here but in and across all eXp markets.”

EXPI’s continued success in offering an exceptional work environment for its agent-owners is particularly noteworthy following the company’s recent expansion efforts. Last month, EXPI announced that its real estate brokerage division had commenced operations in four new states, as well as the District of Columbia. In total, eXp Realty currently boasts a network of more than 1,240 real estate professionals across 38 states and Alberta, Canada. Ian Marshall, managing broker of eXp Realty in Atlanta, highlighted this growth in today’s news release.

“In the past two and one-half years we have introduced a new company, concept and brand into the Atlanta market; have added more than 100 real estate professionals to our team; and, are closing in on 1,000 homes sold,” Marshall stated. “eXp Realty agent-owners encourage and support the achievements of their fellow shareholders, not just in Georgia but across all eXp markets in the United States and Canada, and the achievements of the Company.”

For months, EXPI has operated with the goal of creating a value proposition that’s so lucrative that it would be ‘irresponsible for an agent and broker to hang their license anywhere else’, and the resulting agent/owner business model has proven to be a hit in markets around North America. In the first quarter of 2016, the company successfully leveraged a growing network of real estate professionals to achieve year-over-year revenue growth in excess of 100 percent. For the three month period, EXPI’s revenues totaled $7.1 million, up 107 percent from $3.4 million the previous year. This increase directly correlated with the company’s 106 percent increase in agent count over the first quarter of 2015.

The Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ comes complete with a number of collaborative tools, training and socialization features designed to help brokers and agents maximize their positions in real estate markets around the continent. When combined with an aggressive revenue sharing program that offers brokers a percentage of the gross commission income earned by fellow real estate professionals they attract to the company, it’s clear to see why eXp Realty was ranked as a top workplace in Atlanta and Washington, DC, and similar recognition in other major markets could be on the horizon.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

Monaker Group (MKGI) Pursuing Market Driven Opportunities

Monaker Group (OTCQB: MKGI) is a technology driven travel agency that operates through its booking platform: NextTrip.com. The company is made up of a number of divisions and brands such as Maupintour, NextTrip, Voyage TV, and NextTrip Resorts. MKGI boasts more than 60 years of experience in the leisure and travel industries. Although the company went through a restructuring in the summer of 2015, it has been active since 2009 under the name of Next One Interactive. Headquartered in South Florida, Monaker Group offers its services worldwide and helps tailor people’s vacations to suit their needs. From flights to accommodation and car hire, Monaker Group offers its customers the chance to book everything in one place, making the process of organizing a vacation a lot simpler.

Aside from the fact that the travel and tourism industry is one of the largest in the world, and that global international tourism revenue reached approximately US$1.25 trillion in 2014, Monaker Group established itself to fill a specific gap in the market. MKGI is one of the only travel and leisure platforms that offers its customers an all-inclusive service with a variety of travel options. With this system, guests are able to search through a huge portfolio of alternative lodging, timeshares, and resorts across a variety of websites. In addition to this, Monaker Group offers real-time booking opportunities and a bidding platform. This means guests can negotiate a price for their accommodation to get the best deals.

In addition to the numerous accommodation options, MKGI works closely with other companies, giving customers the chance to search and book car rentals, hotels, flights, cruises, and tour packages. These are supported by video content and itinerary ideas. MKGI has an alternative lodging inventory of over one million units and is in the process of developing a mobile application to reach a wider audience. Overall, the company offers more choices, more volume, and better prices. Monaker Group’s flagship NextTrip.com is a total booking platform that offers guests the luxury of booking everything for their trip in one place.

Monaker Group is still developing new ways of reaching its audience and providing them with the highest quality services, all while working hard to pursue market driven opportunities. Each year, MKGI is delivering more vacation choices to its customers, developing its technology to deliver customized options in “real-time”, establishing more partnerships to offer full services, and offering an aggregated end-to-end solution that combines full services, more choices, faster response, and better prices.

For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com

Thursday, June 16, 2016

eXp World Holdings, Inc. (EXPI) Delivering Leads to Agents through ‘Making It Rain’ Program

eXp World holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) is a publicly-traded holding company for subsidiaries such as eXp Realty LLC and eXp Realty of Canada, which offer professionals the opportunity to earn equity awards for contributing to their growth. EXPI offers a full-service real estate brokerage that provides 24/7 access to collaborative tools and training. The company operates through a fully immersive, cloud-based environment in which real estate brokers are better able to collaborate and socialize. The company features an aggressive revenue sharing program where the agent is paid a percentage of gross commission income by introducing other real estate professionals into the company. As of today, EXPI has 106% agent growth. However, aside from the commission and the flexibility through the cloud-based environment, eXp World Holdings, Inc. has another secret weapon: the ‘Making It Rain’ program.

EXPI’s ‘Making It Rain’ program is a high-quality lead generation program that delivers leads to agents and brokers at discounted prices. Every agent at eXp World Holdings, Inc. gets a conversion website. Conversion is an amazing tool that turns traffic and leads into closings. Of course, an agent’s primary job is to drive traffic to websites. Many promote the website through their own personal social media platforms. However, this can be time consuming and complicated. The ‘Making It Rain’ Program launches tailored campaigns on the agent’s behalf. Agents and brokers can select a region, marketing budget, and platform. The ‘Making It Rain’ program then generates leads from these factors. The platform utilizes Google Adwords, which in turn means each lead is specifically targeting people looking to buy or sell real estate. The lead from this type of targeting normally has higher urgency and higher intent than from other sources.

The ‘Making It Rain’ Program is available to agents and brokers of eXp World Holdings, Inc. and is a fully managed lead generation plan. The plans start at $100 per month and can go higher depending on each individual agent’s budget. The program is contract-free and offers managed PPC and highly targeted ads that generate exclusive leads. The program will soon be introducing two new plans: Facebook Leads and Listing Promos.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

Content Checked (CNCK) Makes Uncovering Hidden Added Sugars Easier

Beginning in July 2018, the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods will list added sugars separately from total sugars. Over the next two years, American shoppers will still need additional tools to snuff out added sugars in their favorite products, and finding products that avoid added sugars entirely is no easy feat. Content Checked Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: CNCK) has developed a revolutionary marketplace and mobile apps covering over 70 percent of conventional U.S. food products and aimed at helping people eat healthier and avoid ingredients that do not fit their dietary restrictions or preferences. The Company’s SugarChecked app helps educate consumers and alert users of the mobile app to four types of sugars: natural low-calorie sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols and added sugars.

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina, a whopping 60 percent of all packaged food and drinks purchased in the U.S. include some form of added sugar. Finding these sweeteners isn’t always as simple as looking at the ingredients label. Although some foods include sugar in their ingredients, there are a number of different words for products that are nutritionally similar. In a list published by the New York Times, nearly 90 ingredients were identified as added sugar sources, including dextrose, flomalt, maltose and sucrose, among others.

A number of health issues have been linked to excessive sugar intake, such as obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. While the updated Nutrition Facts label will go a long way toward shining a light on hidden added sugars, SugarChecked is helping consumers get a jump on the FDA’s 2018 deadline. “More than 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies, 60 million plus care about food sensitivity, so it’s important to educate consumers about what ingredients are in packaged foods, and empower them to take steps to cook sensibly,” Kris Finstad, CEO of Content Checked, stated in a news release.

SugarChecked is one of three mobile apps currently offered by the Company. With a quick scan of a product’s barcode, SugarChecked reveals ingredients that don’t fit within a person’s dietary sugar/sweetener preferences. The SugarChecked app doesn’t just help shoppers avoid products that are not suitable for them, but it is also suggests alternatives, effectively taking the guesswork out of grocery shopping.

To view the company’s full financials, visit the following link: http://dtn.fm/sIJ7M

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Oakridge Global Energy Solutions (OGES) Lithium-Ion Batteries are Safer

Investors willing to bet on domestic upstarts in the lithium-ion battery market cannot help remembering the horror stories. Back in 2006, Sony (NYSE: SNE), which played a major role in commercializing the lithium-ion technology, was forced to recall millions of battery packs when several hundred overheated and a few caught fire. In January 2013, a fire, traced to a lithium battery, broke out on an empty Japan Airlines 787 Dreamliner parked at Boston’s Logan Airport. Just a few days later, an All-Nippon Airways Dreamliner made an emergency landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after smoke from an overheated lithium battery filled the cockpit. These two incidents, in quick succession, galvanized a forceful response from the Federal Aviation Authority: the entire Dreamliner fleet of 50 planes was grounded.

Apprehension about the seemingly temperamental nature of lithium batteries spread and resulted in intergovernmental action. Recently, Reuters reported that ‘the U.N. aviation agency… (has) prohibited shipments of lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft, following concerns by pilots and plane makers that they are a fire risk.’ The ban took effect on April 1, 2016. However, all lithium-ion batteries are not made the same. The technologies employed differ. Those employed in the batteries manufactured in the U.S. by Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) have proven to be less risky than those used by GS Yuasa (OTC: GYUAF), which made the Dreamliner batteries, and Sony.

Since the early pioneering days of the 1990s, many lithium technologies have been developed. Sony initially employed a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) chemistry. Since then, lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) has been tried, as has lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12). Chemistries employing different combinations of nickel, cobalt, and aluminum paired with lithium, referred to in industry jargon as NCA, are also commonplace. Such chemistries are Panasonic’s (OTC: PCRFY) forte and will, undoubtedly, be the ones used in the company’s huge joint-venture battery manufacturing plant with Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA). The batteries manufactured by Oakridge in the U.S., however, employ the newer, less risky lithium iron phosphate chemistry (LiFePO4).

All battery chemistries, including lithium, share the same characteristics. Two electrodes exchange ions through an electrolyte. Ions are atoms or molecules from which negatively charged electrons have been stripped. These free electrons flow in the opposite direction to the ions through an outer circuit producing an electric current. For this system to work effectively, it is essential that the various processes involved work in the direction they are supposed to or are not circumvented. The flow of ions through the electrolyte, for example, should move in one direction during charging and in the opposite direction during discharge.

If the materials separating the various elements in the battery are breached, trouble results. An internal short-circuit occurs and the battery begins to heat up. The temperature can get to a point that triggers ‘thermal runaway’, in which the battery overheats and bursts into flames. Batteries using lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) and other oxide chemistries are particularly susceptible to thermal runaway. However, the lithium iron phosphate employed in OGES batteries can withstand higher temperatures than oxides and, consequently, remains stable over a wider range of abnormal events.

Oakridge has invested heavily in this lithium iron phosphate technology. In March, it announced the opening of its $40 million, 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Palm Bay, Florida. This new facility has already started full commercial production. The company has also beefed up its management team with the appointment of seven new executives. Frank Malo will be Director of Battery Design. John Frailey will become Director of Systems Integration. Patrick Johnson is now Manufacturing Manager. David Phillips will become VP Finance and CFO. Brendan Melling will be Director of Strategic Product Development & Marketing. Spencer Jenkins is to be Manager – Materials Procurement & Logistics, and TJ Marsilio will be Director – Legal Compliance & HR.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com