WTR Small-Cap Spotlight

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Soluna Holding’s CEO John Belizaire joins WTR’s Tim Regan and Graham Mattison to talk about Soluna’s impressive business turnaround in 2023, including the projects that are online today and their growing adjusted EBITDA contributions. Belizaire also talks about new projects under development, incremental revenue sources, and the company’s recently announced AI pilot at Project Dorothy. 

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 This episode discusses our upcoming Climate Investor Conference in NYC on December 7. We are looking at the challenges and opportunities facing sustainable investing and the key companies and technologies likely to thrive in the year ahead. With the broader pullback in the sector, investors can reset the bar and look for the best and brightest companies leveraging the best tailwinds in ClimateTech. 

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Water’s Tower’s Head of Business Development Tim Regan was joined by WTR’s Managing Director of Technology Dr. John Roy, and Creative Realities (CREX) CEO Rick Mills to talk about the digital signage space.  Mills discusses Creative’s customers (Best Buy, Verizon, Dallas Cowboys, Macy’s, 7-11, and Panera), his shift to more SaaS, and the company’s confidence in its 50% growth revenue guidance for 2024.

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Water’s Tower’s Head of Business Development Tim Regan was joined by WTR’s Head of Consumer Discretionary Lynne Collier to talk about the state of the restaurant Industry.  Collier began by highlighting her takeaways from the recent Restaurant Development and Finance Conference.  She then discussed the role that technology is playing in the restaurant industry, menu pricing expectations for 2024, and her outlook for unit development in light of higher interest rates.  Collier also highlighted recent sales trends from her proprietary same-store sales survey and dining observations from the Texas market.

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Water Tower Research Head of Healthcare Services and Medical Devices Matt Borsch was joined by John Bencich, CEO of Achieve Life Sciences (ACHV). Bencich provided an overview of the company and its key product cytisinicline, which through multiple clinical trials, has shown strong efficacy and safety in treating nicotine addiction. Bencich pointed to significant progress achieved over the past two years and key targets ahead. Of paramount importance is securing FDA approval for the drug as well as developing a partnership (most likely through a sale of the company) with a major pharmaceutical company to support efficient large-scale commercialization of the product staring in 2025. Finally, Bencich believes the company can reach these goals using existing resources and without the need to raise additional capital.

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Water Tower Research’s Head of Cannabis Jesse Redmond was joined by Margaret Brodie, Interim CEO of Rubicon Organics. She led the conversation by explaining the inherent challenges in the Canadian market and how Rubicon Organics takes a differentiated approach by focusing on premium products. We discussed the benefits of sun-grown organic cannabis and how Rubicon Organics is building brands and generating customer loyalty. Brodie also shared the company’s fiscal discipline that has led to four consecutive quarters of positive operational cash flow. The conversation concluded by discussing export opportunities and the potential to participate in the global market.

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WTR’s Emerging Growth Analyst Thierry Wuilloud was joined this week by Dolphin Entertainment’s CEO Bill O’Dowd. O’Dowd discussed the revenue synergy rationale behind the evolution of Dolphin that now includes leading PR agencies focusing on the entertainment business, as well as leading influencer marketing and events planning businesses. O’Dowd then discussed the next phase in Dolphin’s evolution, aka Dolphin 2.0, which will be to use its internal resources and expertise to promote content businesses, consumer products, and live events in which Dolphin will have acquired ownership stakes. Lastly, O'Dowd discussed the joint venture with IMAX as well as the first documentary developed with IMAX (about the Blue Angels) as a first significant step for Dolphin 2.0.

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WTR’s Life Sciences Analyst Sally Yanchus was joined this week by Jaguar Health’s CEO Lisa Conte.  Conte began by explaining how when climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, she discovered a natural-based plant substance that relieved altitude sickness.  She then founded Jaguar Health, which pioneered plant-based therapies to treat severe diarrhea in HIV/AIDS patients currently on antiretroviral therapy. Jaguar’s lead product, Mytesi, is currently on the market for this indication. Conte also discussed other pipeline opportunities that Jaguar is working on.  

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Water Tower Research’s Head of Cannabis Jesse Redmond was joined this week by Jushi’s CEO, Chairman, and Founder Jim Cacioppo. He began by explaining how his background in the hedge fund business has helped him in founding and operating Jushi. We also explored the progress Jushi has made in cultivation, retail, and strengthening its balance sheet.

Jushi is well positioned in Pennsylvania and Virginia, two markets that are moving toward allowing adult-use sales. Cacioppo shared updates on how these processes are evolving and how Jushi is positioned in each state. The conversation concluded by discussing the potential for political progress and how Schedule III and SAFER Banking would affect Jushi.

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Enthea's CEO Sherry Rais joins WTR's Jesse Redmond to discuss the first psychedelic-focused disruptor benefits administrator in the US, and Enthea's mission to make psychedelics-assisted therapies stating with ketamine more affordable and accessible to the many who need it.  Rais explains what inspired her to establish Enthea, and talks about the challenges and opportunities in achieving its goals.