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This Month's Tiny Gems - January 2022
Cybin Inc. (NYSE American: CYBN) (NEO: CYBN)
FingerMotion Inc. (NASDAQ: FNGR)
Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: GCAC)
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (NASDAQ: LEXX)
Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN)
Nemaura Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: NMRD)
Pressure BioSciences Inc. (PBIO)
SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX)
Tingo Inc. (OTCQB: IWBB)
Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: GCAC)
Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: GCAC), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company listed on February 2, 2021, with $172.5 million in Trust, and Cepton Technologies Inc., a Silicon Valley innovator and leader in high performance MMT® lidar solutions, on August 5, 2021, announced their entry into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be renamed 'Cepton Inc.' and is expected to be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under new ticker symbol 'CPTN'.
Cybin Inc. (NYSE American: CYBN) (NEO: CYBN)
Cybin Inc. (NYSE American: CYBN) (NEO: CYBN) is focused on progressing psychedelic therapeutics by utilizing proprietary drug discovery platforms, innovative drug delivery systems, novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens for psychiatric disorders.
The company is on a mission to revolutionize mental health care.
Key Facts
Product Offering and Pipeline
Cybin has four drug development programs CYB001, CYB003, CYB004 & CYB005.
Cybin currently holds 13 patents filings and growing. The company's IP portfolio, technology rights and provisional patents include:
Cybin X Kernel
On January 11, 2021, Cybin announced its entry into an agreement with neurotech pioneer HI LLC (dba Kernel) to leverage its innovative Kernel Flow technology for Cybin's upcoming sponsored clinical work.
Kernel Flow is a full-head coverage, time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy system designed to detect hemodynamic changes in the brain. The platform pulses light through the skull and into the bloodstream in order to measure how much oxygen the blood is carrying at any given time. Kernel Flow is expected to facilitate further and more detailed research into psychedelic therapeutic offerings for those suffering from mental health disorders.
Through this partnership with Kernel, Cybin is able to:
Market Outlook for Psychedelic Therapies
Cybin's rich IP portfolio could help position the company in a prominent role in the expanding U.S. psychedelic therapies market.
Although 700 million people globally suffer from some sort of mental illness, according to the World Health Organization, Cybin is initially targeting two indications with its active drug programs – major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Management Team
Doug Drysdale is the Chief Executive Officer of Cybin Inc. He is an experienced corporate director and CEO, having chaired the board of directors of a Nasdaq-listed company and led turnarounds at three pharmaceutical companies as CEO. With over 30 years of experience in the health care sector, Mr. Drysdale has formed cohesive management teams, recruited board members, completed 15 acquisitions across three continents and raised $4 billion in private and public capital. He holds a bachelor's degree in microbial and molecular biology from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and was recognized as the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' by Ernst and Young in 2012.
Eric So is Co-Founder, Executive Chairman and President of Cybin. He is the Co-Founder and current Managing Director of Trinity Venture Partners Inc., a boutique merchant bank. He is a veteran founder, investor, operator and advisor to disruptive companies. He began his career practicing in the areas of corporate commercial securities, finance and mergers & acquisitions at a leading international legal firm. Mr. So has a Bachelor of Science with a major in anatomy and cell biology and a minor in psychology from McGill University. He has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor.
John Kanakis is Cybin's Co-Founder and SVP of Business Development. He is also the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Trinity Venture Partners Inc. He is the Co-Founder of several start-up companies across various sectors. Mr. Kanakis has raised over $100 million for the start-ups of which he has been a part and brings over 10 years of experience in medical device manufacturing and regulatory frameworks to Cybin.
Paul Glavine is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Cybin. He is also the Co-Founder of Global Canna Brands, which was granted the first-ever tier 3 cultivation license in Jamaica. His first cannabis start-up, Truverra, was sold to The Supreme Cannabis Company (TSX: FIRE). He has advised on M&A and other financial transactions totaling over $50 million. He is a serial entrepreneur and investor with vast experience in the biotech and cannabis industries.
Alex Nivorozhkin, Ph.D., is Cybin's Chief Scientific Officer. He is a lead NCE inventor of multiple successfully partnered drug discovery and development programs and a technology developer of proprietary formulations for CNS drugs. Dr. Nivorozhkin is a seasoned medicinal chemist, drug delivery expert and founder of multiple biotech companies.
Michael Palfreyman, Ph.D., is the company's Chief R&D Officer. He brings three decades of preclinical/clinical development experience to the Cybin team, including time with Scriptgen, EnVivo Pharma, Sanofi, GSK, Amorsa Therapeutics and others. Dr. Palfreyman has successfully led multiple IND filings and clinical programs, and he boasts a significant portfolio of CNS therapeutics patents and commercial products.
Brett Greene is Cybin's Chief Innovation Officer. He served as a research administrator for the Center for Drug Discovery (one of the top cannabinoid and serotonin research centers in the world) for over a decade. Greene is a recognized leader in the field of psychedelics and has co-managed more than $80 million in federal funding for cannabinoid and serotonin research. A co-founder of Psymposia, Greene also co-managed the NIDA-sponsored Chemistry & Pharmacology of Drug Abuse (CPDA) conference for five years.
Alex Belser is the company's Chief Clinical Officer. Mr. Belser is a licensed psychologist, clinical supervisor and psychedelic researcher at Yale. He has been active in the psychedelic research community for 20 years and has conducted clinical research with psilocybin and MDMA for a variety of indications. Mr. Belser's research has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Guardian and VICE, as well as in Michael Pollan's book, How to Change Your Mind.
Eric Hoskins is Cybin's Governance Committee Chair. He served as Ontario health minister from 2014 to 2018, maintaining responsibility for one of the largest health care systems in North America. Mr. Hoskins is a former elected Member of Ontario Provincial Parliament with cabinet positions in health, economic development and trade, children and youth services, and immigration. He brings to the Cybin team more than 30 years of experience in public policy, complex diplomacy, international affairs, health care, media and economic development at the intersection of business, politics and complex social and political circumstances. Hoskins is a proven negotiator and navigator at the highest levels of government and bureaucracy.
FingerMotion Inc. (NASDAQ: FNGR)
FingerMotion Inc. (NASDAQ: FNGR) is an evolving technological company with core competencies in mobile payment and recharge platform solutions in China. FingerMotion is in the process of developing additional value-added technologies to market to users.
Founded in 2016, FingerMotion's goal is to serve over a billion users in the Chinese market and expand its model to other regional markets. The company has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and New York City.
Current Offerings
FingerMotion is analyzing and transforming mobile data to improve the lifestyle of the public through technology and innovation. The company's current offerings include:
Telecommunications and Insurtech Markets
The global telecommunications market was valued at $1.74 trillion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5% from 2020 to 2027. The steady increase is expected to be driven by the adoption of 5G and the increased popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
The Chinese telecom market was valued at $254.1 billion in 2017 and is also constantly expanding. The current Chinese telecom market is dominated by three mobile operators – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, which together are responsible for around 1.6 billion active subscribers (https://ibn.fm/zfwy9).
In addition, the insurtech (insurance technology) market was valued at $2.72 billion globally in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 48.8% from 2021 to 2028. The large increase is attributed to the rising use of technology solutions for everyday activities like acquiring insurance coverage (https://ibn.fm/TGo7D).
Through its proprietary platforms and technologies, FingerMotion is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the telecom and insurtech markets' growth and opportunities.
Management Team
Martin J. Shen is the Chief Executive Officer of FingerMotion Inc. He has over 15 years of experience in senior management roles within entrepreneurial startups and large multinational corporations. He has acquired a wide range of corporate management, financial oversight and operation administration expertise through these roles. In his most recent role, he founded Imperial Distributors (formerly known as AP Martin Pharmaceutical Supplies Ltd.), establishing the company as the preferred choice for distributional support to regional pharmacies throughout Western Canada. Before founding Imperial, Mr. Shen served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Wales and Son Industrial (formerly Weir Minerals), a firm specializing in global delivery and support for mining slurry equipment. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Vancouver, with work tours in the tax department in Singapore and the tax audit and advisory group in Hong Kong. Mr. Shen is a U.S. Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia.
Lee Yew Hon is the company's Chief Financial Officer. From 2006 until November 2020, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Cubinet Interactive Group of Companies, and he also took on the Chief Operating Officer role in 2011. During his tenure, he was instrumental in leading Cubinet and building teams across the Southeast Asia region, setting up financial processes within a short time. Mr. Lee spearheaded the growth of Cubinet to other regions, including Europe, the Middle East and Russia. He received his diploma from Tunku Abdul Rahman College in 1996. He is a Chartered Accountant, a member of the Malaysia Institute of Accountants (MIA) and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK (ACMA).
Li Li is the Senior Vice President of FingerMotion. She recently served as Advisor to Shenzhen WuYiKa Technology Co. Ltd., a comprehensive service platform dedicated to online service distribution and payment. The company has become a fast and efficient provider of new media marketing solutions for the mobile internet. She has held high-level management positions with multiple industry names, including Hangzhou JiuYue Information Technology Co. Ltd. and Hangzhou LingXuan Information Technology. Ms. Li started her career in 2004, founding Shanghai ChuangYeZZ Network Technology Co. Ltd. and serving as its Vice President. With the close cooperation of local operators, the company launched SMS, MMS, WAP, mobile JAVA games, Hunan Satellite TV e-magazine and other wireless internet services to meet the rapid development of wireless internet and application requirements. She received her degree from Nanjing Academy of Engineering.
Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: GCAC)
Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: GCAC), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company listed on February 2, 2021, with $172.5 million in Trust, and Cepton Technologies Inc., a Silicon Valley innovator and leader in high performance MMT® lidar solutions, on August 5, 2021, announced their entry into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be renamed 'Cepton Inc.' and is expected to be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under new ticker symbol 'CPTN'.
The proposed business combination, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Cepton and Growth Capital, is expected to be completed early in the first quarter of 2022, subject to, among other things, approval by Growth Capital's stockholders, satisfaction of the conditions stated in the definitive agreement and other customary closing conditions.
Cepton Technologies Inc. is a provider of state-of-the-art, intelligent, lidar-based solutions serving a range of markets, including automotive (ADAS/AV), smart cities, smart spaces and smart industrial applications. General Motors (NYSE:GM) has granted a series production award for Cepton's lidar, the biggest such award to date in the automotive space. Cepton's is the lidar component of GM's Ultra Cruise autonomous driving platform. By leveraging its patented Micro Motion Technology (MMT®) lidar platform, the company develops reliable, scalable and cost-effective solutions that deliver long-range, high-resolution 3D perception for smart applications.
Cepton was established in 2016 by co-founders Dr. Jun Pei and Dr. Mark McCord. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, and serves a fast-growing customer base through an international presence spanning North America, Germany, Japan, India and China.
Micro Motion Technology (MMT®)
Cepton was built from the ground up to meet key lidar industry challenges for mass market adoption. This company's portfolio of proprietary technology is uniquely aimed at facilitating this industry growth through a combination of performance, reliability, affordability and design integration.
Key among its innovations is MMT®, a mirrorless, frictionless, rotation-free 3D imaging platform designed specifically for lidars. Its benefits for OEMs and system integrators include:
Because of their compact form factor, Cepton lidars are embeddable and ideally suited for advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) integration, whether behind windshield, in headlamp or in fascia.
Agreement with KOITO
KOITO Manufacturing Co. Ltd., the world's premier Tier 1 auto lighting supplier, originally started an evaluation of Cepton's MMT® based lidars in 2018. In 2020, KOITO made an investment in Cepton aimed at accelerating the company's development and enabling KOITO's industrialization of high-performance and high reliability lidar sensors for ADAS and autonomous vehicle (AV) applications.
Through this collaboration, Cepton was able to secure the largest ADAS lidar series production award[1] with General Motors as a sole source in the automotive space. The award covers GM vehicles for the initial period of 2023-2027.
On August 5, 2021, the two companies deepened their relationship when KOITO committed to invest a further $50 million in Cepton's business through its participation in a Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPE) offering of shares of common stock of Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. in connection with Cepton's proposed merger.
Collaboration with GM
On July 13, 2021, Cepton announced that it had secured an ADAS lidar series production award from a leading, Detroit-based global automotive OEM – the biggest lidar production award by any OEM to any lidar company. It was later clarified that the OEM was General Motors, and Cepton's lidar is part of GM's ADAS Ultra Cruise system.
GM is "expected to deploy Cepton lidars in its next generation of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) across multiple vehicle classes and models – not just luxury cars." As such, the agreement marks the potential for "an industry-first, mass-market adoption of lidar technology for automotive ADAS, with an anticipated deployment in consumer vehicles starting in 2023."
On July 28, 2021, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) distributed an article on Medium noting, "Ford has been engaged with Cepton almost since their inception in 2016, both for R&D collaboration and small-scale deployments. Cepton LiDAR are deployed in some of [Ford's] smart city projects. Based on Ford's guidance, Cepton delivered a custom version of their LiDAR to enable R&D on advanced ADAS features."
Market Outlook
Driven by increasing development and adoption in automobile safety applications, environmental mapping and 3D-modeling, the global lidar market is forecast to experience considerable growth over the coming years. A research report published by MarketsAndMarkets suggests that the sector will grow to an estimated $3.4 billion by 2026, achieving a CAGR of 21.6% over the next five years.
The report further highlights increasing investments in lidar startups by automotive giants as a driver of growth opportunities in the sector, particularly in North America.
In 2020, ground-based lidar accounted for the lion's share of the overall lidar market, and this trend is expected to continue as the automotive sector continues to rapidly advance adoption across the full spectrum of vehicle classes. One factor not to be underestimated is the high barrier of entry and the exceptionally long time required for automotive OEMs to vet and award a production win to a lidar company. It is a commonly held view that the over 50 lidar companies will inevitably coalesce into a handful serving all OEMs.
Cepton, having a head start through its established partnership with leading global OEM GM, is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this market growth in the years to come.
Management Team
Cepton's founder-led team is made up of lidar industry pioneers with decades of collective experience across advanced lidar and imaging technologies.
Jun Pei, Ph.D., is the company's CEO and Co-Founder. He is a technology specialist with a focus in optics and electronics. Prior to founding Cepton, Dr. Pei founded AEP Technology, a firm focused on developing advanced 3D optical instruments. He received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
Mark McCord, Ph.D., is Cepton's CTO and Co-Founder. Prior to founding Cepton, he led advanced development at KLA-Tencor. Dr. McCord also formerly served as an associate professor at Stanford University, where he earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering.
Winston Fu, Ph.D., is the company's CFO. Dr. Fu is the founder of Silicon Valley venture capital firm LDV Partners. Prior to joining Cepton, he served as CFO and Chairman of Active-Semi before its acquisition. Dr. Fu has also helped to build many technology companies as an entrepreneur and/or board member. He received his Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford University, as well as an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
[1] Largest known ADAS lidar series production award based on number of vehicle models awarded
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (NASDAQ: LEXX)
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (NASDAQ: LEXX) is a global innovator in drug delivery platforms. The company's patented technology, DehydraTECH™, improves the way active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) enter the bloodstream by promoting healthier oral ingestion methods and increasing the effectiveness of fat-soluble active molecules. DehydraTECH promotes fast-acting, less expensive and more effective oral drug delivery and has been thoroughly evaluated through in vivo, in vitro and human clinical testing.
DehydraTECH is covered by 23 issued and more than 50 pending patents in over 40 countries around the world. Lexaria's first patent was issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in October 2016 (US 9,474,725 B1), providing 20 years of patent protection expiring June 2034. Multiple patents have been awarded since then and are expected in the future.
Lexaria has a collaborative research agreement with the National Research Council (NRC), the Canadian government's premier research and technology organization. The company has filed for patent protection for specific delivery of nicotine, vitamins, NSAIDs, testosterone, estrogen, cannabinoids, terpenes, PDE5 inhibitors (with brand names like Viagra), tobacco and more.
Lexaria began developing DehydraTECH in 2014 and has since continued to strengthen and broaden the technology. The company has no plans to create or sell Lexaria-branded products containing controlled substances. Instead, Lexaria licenses its technology to other companies around the world to offer consumers the best possible performance across an array of ingestible product formats.
The company's technology is best thought of as an additional layer that providers of consumer supplements, prescription and non-prescription drugs, nicotine and CBD products can utilize to improve the effectiveness of their own existing or planned new offerings. Lexaria has licensed DehydraTECH to multiple companies, including a world-leading tobacco producer for the research and development of smokeless, oral-based nicotine products, and for use in industries that produce cannabinoid beverages, edibles and oral products.
DehydraTECH is suitable for use with a wide range of product formats including pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, consumer packaged goods and over-the-counter capsules, pills, tablets and oral suspensions.
DehydraTECH Technology
Lexaria's DehydraTECH is designed specifically for formulating and delivering lipophilic (fat-soluble) drugs and active ingredients. DehydraTECH increases their effectiveness and improves the way active pharmaceutical ingredients enter the bloodstream. The major benefits to a subject ingesting a DehydraTECH-enabled drug or consumer product can be summarized by the following:
Lexaria has demonstrated in animal studies a propensity for DehydraTECH technology to elevate the quantity of drug delivered across the blood-brain barrier by as much as 1,900 percent, initiating additional new patent applications and opening possibilities for improved drug delivery.
Since 2016, DehydraTECH has repeatedly demonstrated, with cannabinoids and nicotine, the ability to increase bio-absorption by up to five to 10 times, reduce time of onset from one to two hours to just minutes, and mask unwanted tastes. The technology is to be further evaluated for additional orally administered bioactive molecules, including antivirals, cannabinoids, vitamins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and nicotine.
Market Outlook
Lexaria's ongoing research and development efforts are mainly focused on development of product candidates across several key segments:
Management Team
Chris Bunka is Chairman and CEO of Lexaria Bioscience Corp. He is a serial entrepreneur who has been involved in several private and public companies since the late 1980s. He has extensive experience in the capital markets, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, as well as corporate finance. He is named as an inventor on multiple patent innovations.
John Docherty, M.Sc., is the President of Lexaria. He is a pharmacologist and toxicologist, and a specialist in the development of drug delivery technologies. He is the former president and COO of Helix BioPharma Corp. (TSX: HBP). He is named as an inventor on multiple issued and pending patents.
Greg Downey is Lexaria's CFO. He has more than 35 years of diverse financial experience in the mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, and construction industries, and in the public sector. He served for eight years as CFO for several public companies and has provided business advisory and financial accounting services to many large organizations.
Gregg Smith is a strategic advisor to Lexaria. He is a founder and private investor with Evolution VC Partners. He is a member of the Sand Hill Angels and held previous investment banking roles with Cowen and Company and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Dr. Philip Ainslie serves as a scientific and medical advisor to Lexaria. He is co-director for the Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Canada. He is also Research Chair in Cerebrovascular Physiology and Professor at the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development at the University of British Columbia.
Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN)
Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) is a Southern California-based automotive company that owns and partners with several synergistic businesses working toward the unified goal of creating clean and scalable energy solutions. Mullen has evolved over the past decade in sync with consumers and technology trends. Today, the company is working diligently to provide exciting EV options built entirely in the United States and made to fit perfectly into the American consumer's life. Mullen strives to make EVs more accessible than ever by building an end-to-end ecosystem that takes care of all aspects of EV ownership.
Commencement of Trading on Nasdaq
On November 5, 2021, Mullen announced its commencement of trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
"Today is a monumental day for Mullen Automotive. I am especially proud of our team, investors and all who have believed in Mullen and taken us to this point as a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq Capital Market," David Michery, CEO and Chairman of Mullen Automotive, stated in the news release. "Trading on Nasdaq now opens us up to new investors, both institutional and retail shareholders, and broadens our awareness and company profile, while increasing awareness of Mullen and our technology platform and opening new opportunities in EV and beyond. The road ahead has never been brighter for Mullen, and I am proud to lead us into the future."
The milestone came in the wake of the company's stock-for-stock merger with Net Element Inc.
The Mullen FIVE
The Mullen FIVE EV Crossover, debuting at the Los Angeles International Auto Show (LAIAS) on November 17, 2021, embodies Mullen's Southern California roots with an inspired design focused on two complementary Golden State themes – California landscape and California urban.
The FIVE is built on an EV Crossover skateboard platform that offers multiple powertrain configurations and trim levels in a svelte design that is Strikingly Different™ and exciting to experience in person. Capable of 0-60 in 3.2 seconds with a max speed of 155 mph, the FIVE comes with an estimated range of 325 miles.
Prior to the start of LAIAS, the Mullen FIVE was selected as a finalist by the LA Auto Show for Top EV SUV in the Zero Emission Vehicle Awards (ZEVAs) "People's Choice" Awards.
LAIAS provides Mullen an opportunity to display multiple variants of the FIVE model while also showcasing its powertrain, battery and charging technology. Additionally, the FIVE will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2022. The company intends to bring the FIVE to market in 2024, and reservations are currently open here.
Mullen's development portfolio also includes EV Fleet Vans, which it intends to bring to market in Q2 2022, and the pure electric, high-performance Sports Car, the DragonFLY.
Expansion of Manufacturing Capacity
On November 2, 2021, Mullen announced plans to expand its facility in Robinsonville, Mississippi.
Mullen's Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Facility (AMEC) currently occupies 124,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The total available land on the property is over 100 acres, and Mullen is moving ahead with plans to build out another 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space to support class 1 and class 2 EV cargo vans and the Mullen FIVE EV Crossover.
On the expanded site, Mullen plans to build a body shop, a fully automated paint shop and a general assembly shop.
EV Market Outlook
The global EV market was reported to consist of 3,269,671 units in 2019, a figure that is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.1% through 2030 to a total of 26,951,318 units worldwide. This market's monetary value was estimated at $162.34 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.6%, resulting in an approximate value of $802.81 billion by 2027. The primary driver for this exponential growth is a worldwide increase in vehicle emissions regulations.
Management Team
Mullen is led by an executive team with extensive EV, OEM and, high-growth startup experience. David Michery is the CEO and Founder of Mullen and has been leading the company and its divisions since inception in 2014. With over 25 years of executive management, marketing, distressed assets, and business restructuring experience, Mr. Michery brings a wealth of relevant knowledge and expertise to the Mullen brand. He has notably created 12 trademarks so far to develop the company brand and vision.
Mr. Michery is working toward a sustainable future accessible to all by creating a suite of clean-energy electric vehicles at varied price points. With entirely U.S.-based manufacturing and operations, he is also determined to have Mullen Technologies play a role in shaping a self-sustaining local economy by creating more jobs in America.
Mr. Michery manages risks and company expectations as a pathway to success and has personally overseen several businesses that totaled over $1 billion in transactions. His key strength is the ability to be fiscally responsible and lead teams to complete projects on time and within budget. As a seasoned professional in this space, Mr. Michery has demonstrated skill in building businesses from the ground up and into successful entities that subsequently sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nemaura Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: NMRD)
Nemaura Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: NMRD) is a medical technology company developing affordable diagnostic and digital tools for chronic disease management. Its flagship product, sugarBEAT®, is a wearable, non-invasive and flexible Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) designed to help people with diabetes and prediabetes manage their glucose levels. Insulin users can adjunctively use sugarBEAT when calibrated with a finger-stick glucose reading.
sugarBEAT consists of a daily disposable adhesive skin patch connected to a rechargeable transmitter with a smartphone app displaying glucose readings at five-minute intervals for periods of up to 24 hours. One of the great advantages of the product, apart from the fact that users no longer need to draw blood samples or prick their fingers, is that a person can wear the CGM patch on whatever day they choose. Existing CGM devices must be implanted under the skin. Wearable disposability is a unique feature of sugarBEAT and a world first, opening up vast potential for changing the way people manage their chronic disease conditions. sugarBEAT received CE mark clearance in May 2019, allowing it to be marketed and sold within the European Union as a Class 2b Medical Device. The company submitted a premarket approval (PMA) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2020 which is currently under review.
Founded in 2011, Nemaura set out to develop a single platform technology to measure blood markers at the surface of the skin. Since then, the company has evolved with the creation of wearable technologies and digital health care solutions that encourage and empower people to take charge of their own health and well-being. Nemaura's skin surface blood monitoring technology has allowed the company to create additional products, which are in the pipeline, such as Lactate Monitoring.
Technologies
Digital Solutions for Weight Loss and Potential Reversal of Type 2 Diabetes
This is a digital program that comes with more than a decade of clinical evidence demonstrating excellent efficacy. The company has combined this with its glucose-monitoring platform to bring a product to market to help people with diabetes manage their condition and potentially reverse Type 2 diabetes.
Glucose Monitoring Solutions for Diabetes Prevention and Reversal
Over 420 million people worldwide are living with diabetes, and prediabetes cases total almost three times that number. Undoubtedly, diabetes is an urgent global health crisis. Combining clinical research with patient-friendly technology, Nemaura's sugarBEAT product delivers a non-invasive, affordable and flexible method of blood glucose tracking for improved diabetes management.
Continuous Lactate Monitoring for Athletic Performance (Non-Medical)
Lactic acid is a key performance indicator for the body and a guide to how well muscles react to long term exertion and recovery. Well-trained athletes and those who regularly engage in sports are very efficient at faster lactate 'recycling' for extra energy (ATP). Nemaura expects to launch its lactate sensor to the sports and personal training market in 2022.
Continuous Lactate Monitoring in Disease State (Medical)
An increase in blood lactate levels is also a marker of critical disease states. Recent publications have indicated the presence of elevated lactate levels in patients with COVID-19 infection. Nemaura has developed a lactate sensor that is being integrated into the company's platform, which will be submitted for regulatory clearance upon completion of requisite clinical studies.
Continuous Temperature Monitoring for Viral Infection Detection and Disease Progression
A person's body temperature says a lot about their health. Several diseases, including COVID-19, are characterized by an increase in body temperature, so temperature monitoring is a vital tool in the detection, diagnosis and prevention of the spread of disease. Nemaura is expecting to submit this adaptation of the device for regulatory clearance in 2022.
MiBoKo
On September 29, 2021, Nemaura announced the beta launch of MiBoKo, a new metabolic health program utilizing a non-invasive glucose sensor along with an AI based mobile application. In development for 18 months leading up to the announcement, MiBoKo addresses a significant mass market opportunity that Nemaura believes could benefit roughly a third to half of the population by measuring and monitoring users' metabolic health scores, which are based on glucose tolerance or insulin resistance.
"A person's response to sugar intake can influence a number of factors from appetite and body weight to sleep patterns, energy levels, and even mood, not to mention also being a considerable factor in chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and dementia," Dr. Faz Chowdhury, CEO of Nemaura, stated in announcing the beta launch. "With MiBoKo, we are able to extend our proprietary non-invasive device and sensor technology and interactive lifestyle and AI based coaching programs beyond the traditional diabetes market and into an adjacent, yet separate, market application of metabolic health. At Nemaura, we continue to look for the intersection of patient comfort and convenience through advanced and unique technology that addresses significant healthcare needs for large patient populations. We believe that MiBoKo offers insights into metabolic health in a user-friendly way unlike any other program on the market."
Anyone interested in participating as a MiBoKo user can now register for the beta program at www.MiBoKo.com. There is no cost during the beta period, with approved MiBoKo beta testers receiving the sensors and AI based program free of charge.
Market Opportunity
Obesity and diabetes are two of the major drivers of the current chronic disease epidemic. According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are more than 463 million people living with diabetes worldwide. In the U.S., about 28,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes every week, and more than 34 million suffer from diabetes. Another 88 million Americans have prediabetes. Other industrialized countries show similar numbers based on their populations. In the U.K., 4.8 million people have diabetes, with another diagnosed every two minutes. In Germany, 9.5 million have diabetes, with almost half estimated to be undiagnosed and so at greater risk.
On average, employers and insurers spend more than $9,000 annually on health care for an employee with diabetes, compared to $1,600 annually for a healthy employee. In the U.S. alone, more than $760 billion was spent on diabetes-related health care expenditures during 2019. Nemaura is positioned at the intersection of the global Type 2 diabetes market that is expected to reach nearly $59 billion by 2025, the $50-plus billion prediabetic market, and the wearable health-tech sector for weight loss and wellness applications forecast to hit $60 billion by 2023.
Management Team
Dr. Faz Chowdhury has been CEO and chairman of the board of Nemaura Medical since 2013. He has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industry, taking products from concept to commercial launch. He is sole inventor on more than 100 granted and pending patents and has authored textbook chapters on nano-biosciences for Wiley and Elsevier. He holds a master's degree in microsystems and nanotechnology from Cranfield University, and a doctorate from the University of Oxford in nano-medicine and drug delivery.
Justin Mclarney is CFO at Nemaura. He most recently was the Senior Director, International Finance at Lands' End Inc. He also worked for Office Depot as Senior Director of Finance for the largest business unit within the European group. Prior to that, he spent more than 10 years in practice, the majority of which was with Ernst & Young LLP.
Dr. Fred Schaebsdau is Vice President of Strategy & Strategic Alliances at Nemaura. He has more than 15 years of executive experience in the CGM, blood glucose monitoring and insulin delivery industries, including time with Abbott Diabetes Care, as General Manager of Dexcom Germany and at Roche Diabetes Care, where he was Senior Vice-President, Head of Global Strategy and Business Development. The firm he founded is the exclusive distributor in Europe, the Middle East and Africa of UniStrip®, the world's first generic blood glucose test strip. He is licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. and Germany.
David Scott is Director of Commercial Development and Licensing at Nemaura. He is a trained chemist with over 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including deal brokering, marketing, strategic planning, finance, business development and acquisitions. He has also provided licensing training for a number of multinational pharma companies and training organizations and is the author of best-selling report Scrip's Practical Guide to Pharmaceutical Licensing.
Pressure BioSciences Inc. (PBIO)
Pressure BioSciences Inc. (PBIO) develops, markets and sells proprietary laboratory instrumentation and associated consumables to the life sciences sample preparation market. Sample preparation refers to the wide range of activities that precede most forms of scientific analysis. It is often complex and time-consuming, yet a critical part of scientific research. The market for sample preparation products is currently estimated at $6 billion worldwide.
The Company's product line can be used to exquisitely control the sample preparation process. It is based on a patented, enabling technology platform called pressure cycling technology ("PCT"). PCT uses alternating cycles of hydrostatic pressure between ambient (14.5 psi) and ultra-high levels (up to 100,000 psi) to safely and reproducibly control critical biological processes, such as the lysis (breakage) of cells, the digestion of proteins, and the inactivation of pathogens.
Pressure BioSciences' product line is led by its newly released, next-generation Barocycler 2320EXTREME instrument. Named a finalist in the prestigious 2017 R&D Awards (also known as the "Oscars of Innovation"), the Barocycler 2320EXT is already being touted by some key opinion leaders as an essential element of the $1.8 billion U.S. "Cancer Moonshot" program. For example, Professor Phil Robinson, Co-head of the cancer research center of the Children's Medical Research Institute (Sydney, Australia), said in a recent interview: "We are collecting the whole proteome on 70,000 tumor samples from all classes where complete clinical outcome is known. Due to its unique capabilities, the Barocycler 2320EXT has become a critical part of our program. It is the primary enabler of the high-throughput component of the project. Without this step, our project simply could not be done. In fact, the Barocycler 2320EXT works so well we have just purchased two more."
Momentum is building when it comes to the potential for using the Company's unique PCT technology platform. Leading scientists are intrigued by Pressure BioSciences' approach, which among other attributes, revolutionizes the process of rupturing cells (lysis) for further study, yielding superior biomolecules for investigation. The Company's technology transcends current methods of breaking open cells, which use chemicals, blades, metal beads, or other damaging and altering methods that can ultimately adversely affect the result for researchers. Pressure BioSciences' PCT technology utilizes customized, controlled hydrostatic (water) pressure to rupture cells in a chamber, enabling exquisitely customized levels of pressure to optimally break open different types of cells at prescribed pressure levels—something never before accomplished in a commercial setting. Using this pioneering method, the result is a truer, more legitimate sample, which boosts the efficacy of research and the quality of results. The potential impact of this technology on scientific advancement is enormous, enabling research scientists to begin their studies with biological samples of unprecedented integrity, with the potential to improve research outcomes at the earliest, most critical step. PCT can additionally inactivate pathogens (e.g., viruses, bacteria) using hydrostatic pressure, making the samples safer to study—another innovation with astronomical potential for application in a variety of markets.
The Company's high-pressure instruments for research purposes are marketed throughout the United States, Europe, China and Japan. To date, Pressure BioSciences has installed nearly 300 PCT Systems in over 165 leading academic, government, biotech and pharma laboratories around the world. Its primary applications are in biomarker discovery, forensics, agriculture and pathology. Over 100 scientific papers have been published on the advantages of the PCT platform, which is also being used in the specialized fields of drug discovery and design, bio-therapeutics characterization, soil and plant biology, vaccine development and histology.
Impressive as their biotech business is, there is more to the PBI story. Pressure BioSciences recently received two patents in China for its novel Ultra Shear Technology (UST), a process that has potential in a wide range of industrial applications, including extending the shelf life of some food products and making two insoluble liquids (like oil in water) soluble. Patents have also been filed in many other countries worldwide. UST is a novel technique based on the use of intense shear forces generated from ultra-high-pressure valve discharge.
This important technology has the potential to play a significant role in a number of commercially important areas through its ability to create high-quality, stable nanoemulsions. Scientific studies indicate that improved absorption, higher bioavailability, greater stability, lower surfactant levels and other advantages can be achieved with nanoemulsions – all hugely important factors in the fields of nutraceuticals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and in various medical products. There is an enormous opportunity in the cannabis market, since the technology can potentially reduce oil droplets containing cannabidiol (CBD) to nanoparticles, after which they can be safely suspended in a stable water solution—something many companies have endeavored to achieve without success. Researchers looking for a way to increase the bioavailability of cannabinoids in the body will find this technology a game changer.
The Company's UST technology also has possibilities in the production of clean label foods, which are currently processed using several innovative methods, including high-pressure treatments (such as Starbucks' Evolution line of juices). In 2015, the worldwide market for high-pressure processed (HPP) food was estimated at U.S. $10 billion. UST uses ultra-high pressures and certain valves to generate intense shear forces under controlled temperature conditions to produce nanoemulsions, and which also significantly reduces food-borne pathogens. Pressure BioSciences' initial focus with this technology will be to evaluate UST for the production of high-quality dairy products and beverages.
SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX)
SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX) is a financial technology company that unlocks data and insights for publicly traded companies. Through its premier investor intelligence and communications platform, Sequire, companies can track their investors' behaviors and trends and use those insights to engage current and potential investors across marketing channels.
Through its BIGtoken platform, SRAX has developed a consumer-managed data marketplace where people can own and earn from their data, thereby providing everyone in the internet ecosystem choice, transparency and compensation.
SRAX's tools deliver a digital competitive advantage for brands in the CPG, automotive, investor relations, luxury and lifestyle verticals by integrating all aspects of the advertising experience, including verified consumer participation, into one platform.
SRAX Verticals
International Expansion
BIGtoken is formally launching into several international markets and partnering to foster local support. SRAX recently signed a joint venture with the Yash Birla Group to launch BIGtoken in India. Based in Mumbai, the Yash Birla Group, one of India's largest conglomerates, has diversified interests in consumer and industrial products.
The partnership will bring BIGtoken's platform to India, which has a digital population of 627 million. The India digital advertising market is $3.6 billion and is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 32%, making it one of the largest growing digital ad markets in the world.
SRAX Mexico is led by Moe Avitia, who has more than 18 years of experience in business development and building high-tech teams. SRAX Mexico includes a team of 90 employees, including 70 engineers.
BIGtoken Europe is currently evaluating data centers in individual countries for privacy laws.
Leadership
Christopher Miglino is CEO and founder of SRAX. He has spent the past 20 years working in the digital advertising space and has successfully launched and sold two internet companies. Both of these companies were sold to publicly traded companies on the Nasdaq. He has a detailed understanding of the relationship between technology and brands.
Michael Malone is the CFO of SRAX. He is responsible for all accounting, finance, and investor relations activities for SRAX and BIGtoken. He has spent 12+ years in Corporate Finance related roles in publicly held media companies.
Randy Clark is the company's COO. He leads SRAX's sales organization with a proven strategic and tactical approach augmented over 20+ years in media. Having built successful sales teams at seven different media organizations, he has a passion for providing "lift" within his organization, bolstering winning cultural experiences, providing a positive work environment, and creating a clear path to success.
Vladi Delsoglio is SRAX's CCO. He follows an intrinsic desire to express himself through the manipulation of forms and thoughts, ideas and emotions. He studied media design and worked at several cool media companies before working at SRAX. Teaching Interactive Design at the Art Center of Pasadena allows him to enter one of the pinnacles of American design.
Moises Avitia is the President, LATAM of SRAX. With over 15 years of experience in software development and creating digital products, he has built a state-of-the-art operation and production team. His ability to adapt to trends, anticipating operational opportunities and challenges, and effective leadership keeps this machine going.
Taewook Kang is the CTO of SRAX. He combines 20 years of hands-on industry experience from fintech to artificial intelligence with an energetic startup mentality. He has a proven record of motivating and coaching engineers and building amazing products.
Tingo Inc. (OTCQB: IWBB)
Tingo Inc. (OTCQB: IWBB) is a digital service agri-fintech technology company focused on foundation-level agriculture and related financial services in Africa. The company aims to be Africa's leading agri-fintech player, transforming rural farming communities to connect through its proprietary platform to meet their complete needs – from inputs and agronomy to off take and marketplace – and deliver sustainable income in an impactful way. The company's vision is to build complete digitally inclusive ecosystems that promote financial inclusion and deliver disruptive micro-finance solutions, empower societies, produce social upliftment in rural communities and open international opportunities.
Tingo believes that a truly connected world will help contribute to a better global society. The company's core focus areas are telecoms, financial services/fintech and agritech. Tingo's goal is to provide a best-in-class customer experience, support the domestic economies of its host countries and support technological and financial inclusion to end the poverty premium. Through this, Tingo hopes to deliver attractive returns to shareholders while investing in the long-term future of the company and its subsidiaries.
Global climate change is challenging sustainable production and food security. Tingo's strategy and market execution provide an opportunity for Africa to be a core focal point to solve a number of key areas of concern, including food security, gender equality, financial inclusion and poverty alleviation, to name a few. Disruption of micro finance through the use of DeFi-based stable coins and smart contracts will give agri-communities access to capital markets-driven digital finance solutions that make them more competitive and sustainable economically, striking a good balance of returns between digital asset providers and Tingo as the service partner. This innovation will deliver significant access to much needed finance at 'Grassroot' levels, delivering tangible social upliftment and GDP growth in the African markets served by Tingo.
Tingo Mobile, with more than nine million subscribers, is Nigeria's leading technology and device-as-a-service platform aimed at accelerating digital commerce, especially in the country's agritech and fintech verticals. The company helps farmers acquire mobile phones through a unique leasing plan, connecting them to mobile and data networks through its own virtual mobile network. Tingo also connects farmers to markets, services and resources via Nwassa, its digital agritech marketplace platform that commenced operations in 2020. The company has also launched a beta version of TingoPay – a B2B and B2C fintech app aimed at providing financial services to users inside and outside of the agriculture value chain. Among the services offered are mobile wallets, payment processing and access to specialist lenders, insurers and pension products.
Tingo will soon announce its innovative blockchain-based solution for use of digital stable coins to empower frictionless trade across borders in Africa. The company's market-proven model in Nigeria is its core foundation, enabling Tingo to deliver the same service model across Africa to become the continent's leading agri-fintech business powered through smartphone technology.
The African Continental Free Trade (ACFT) plan will be a key framework to prepare the company to be the leading intra-Africa trading hub for trade flows across Africa in the medium term, when it is likely the agreement will be executed into tangible activity. Tingo is well positioned to easily transform the goals of the ACFT into reality when finally implemented by the African Union and the various African countries that have not signed up.
Tingo posted total revenue of $594 million in 2020, with $212 million EBITDA. As of December 31, 2020, Tingo has 9,344,000 subscribers. The company is confident that these figures will grow through its expansion across Africa and natural progression of business in Nigeria.
Businesses
Tingo has four core businesses:
TingoPay is still in its beta phase and will launch in 2021 with a comprehensive marketing campaign. TingoPay offers the following services:
Market Opportunity
Africa is the second-largest continent by population. It is also the youngest by far, with a median age of 18 for its 1.3 billion people. Tingo believes the building blocks for growth in Africa's agriculture industry are in place and that the company is well positioned to participate in the upside. Sub-Saharan Africa's population is growing at a rate of 2.7 percent per year. At the current growth rate, the continent's population will double by 2050. Africa's youthfulness represents a significant opportunity for material growth in demand for agricultural commodities. This younger generation is also being born into a digital world and is comfortable using technology.
Africa's governments are improving business conditions for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Sub-Saharan Africa's World Bank Doing Business rank has improved from 45 in 2004 to 65 in 2020. Tingo believes this trend will continue and encourage establishment of more new ventures across all economic sectors, including agriculture.
Africa attracted $407 billion of Foreign Direct Investments ("FDI") between 2014 and 2018. Investments are increasingly focused on services and industrial sectors. Only 20 percent of investments are in extractive industries – a clear reversal from 2008, when 55 percent of FDI was aimed at resource extraction. Tingo believes FDI into Africa will help resolve significant infrastructure constraints and create value for agribusiness.
Management Team
Dozy Mmobuosi is the CEO of Tingo. He cofounded Tingo Mobile PLC (Nigeria) in 2001 and led the design and launch of Nigeria's first SMS banking solution, which is still in use in the country today. He also headed a team of more than 120 Chinese and Nigerian engineers in the construction of two mobile phone assembly plants in Nigeria, which have produced and distributed 20 million phones across the country. He has led Tingo's growth to more than $600 million in revenue annually. He holds a Ph.D. in Rural Advancement from UPM Malaysia.
Dakshesh Patel is the CFO of Tingo. He was formerly CFO of NatWest's Global Debt and Investment Banking division. He has served as a Director at Gerken Capital Associates, a San Francisco-based alternative asset fund manager. He also led the restructure of Lloyds Banking Group (last financial crisis); managed integration of two leading shipping groups' global treasury function to create world-leading shipping group Maersk Shipping; built three fintech companies; and exited one to Worldpay. Mr. Patel has strong banking experience, with a focus on Africa. He is a chartered accountant.
Chris Cleverly is president of Tingo. He has served as CEO of the Made in Africa Foundation, and as CEO of blockchain payments gateway startup Kamari. He has been a board member of several companies, both public and private, in the UK, India, China and Africa. He has advised multiple UK companies on their entrance into African markets, and regularly advises the UK Government on development issues and African governments on investment issues.
Clarence Simms is the Chief Technology Officer at Tingo. He has 25 years of IT and IT management experience. He has worked in IT Shared Services Technical Operations and IT Program Management for Huawei Technologies and MTN. As an entrepreneur, he created Africaprepay.com, a service that allows African Diaspora travelers to send airtime, pay bills, send mobile money and transfer money to a bank account from anyplace in the world.
Rory Bowen is the Chief of Staff at Tingo. Mr. Bowen started his career in traditional capital and derivatives markets working for Moneycorp and Tradition UK in European and emerging markets across FX, interest rate derivative and government bond markets. He has also spent time with one of Europe's fastest growing fintech's banking circles. Before joining Tingo, he was Chief of Staff at FinTech Alliance, an organization established in partnership with the UK Government Department for International Trade to foster innovation, growth and foreign direct investment (FDI) in the financial services sector and facilitate greater public/private cooperation.