Earlier today, Torchlight Energy Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRCH) announced that the Orogrande Development Committee, which consists of members of the project operator, Torchlight and consulting geologist Rich Masterson, has elected to move forward on planning the next phase of drilling in the Orogrande Project. Following this decision, the project operator is expected to permit three new wells, beginning with the University Founders B-19 #1 well, to be drilled vertically for test purposes. These new wells will be designed with sufficient casing size to support lateral entry into any pay zones encountered during testing – including pay zones previously observed in the existing Cactus well.

“We are pleased that the project operator is underway on next steps in evaluating our Orogrande Project,” Will McAndrew III, chief operating officer of Torchlight, stated in the news release. “Drilling additional test wells is the appropriate next action, providing data necessary for validation of the play and the development plan for the entire 168,000 acres. Our principal strategy is to create control data by strategically placing wells across the acreage and thus creating a development thesis for the entire basin.”

Field operations stemming from this agreement are set to begin within 90 days and in line with the development agreement. Last September, Torchlight announced entry into a definitive agreement with Founders Oil and Gas, LLC of Midland, Texas, through which Founders will contribute $50 million in development capital by 2017 – including a $5 million reimbursement for initial project costs – in exchange for 50 percent working interest in the Orogrande Project. Following the commencement of new drilling operations, Torchlight will receive a payment of $500,000 resulting from this partnership.

“The capital and expertise being provided by our operating partner has set the stage for continued value creation for Torchlight and our shareholders,” concluded McAndrew.

Currently, Torchlight owns 95 percent working interest in the 168,000 acre Orogrande Project, which is located in Hudspeth County, Texas. The company is targeting 1,300 feet of pay at a depth of approximately 4,000 to 6,100 feet. In prior testing, Torchlight utilized the Rich A-11 well to gather key data for its field development thesis, but a poor cement bond discovered during testing prevented a cost-effective production test of the project’s primary pay zones. Repairing these defects was determined to be economically unfeasible, and, as a result, the development committee approved plans for drilling of the next wells with larger casings that can be utilized for both testing and commercial production moving forward.

For more information on the company, visit www.TorchlightEnergy.com

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In September 2015, Nutra Pharma Corporation (OTCQB: NPHC), in what CEO Rik Deitsch has called “the most substantial event in the history of our drug discovery efforts,” was granted Orphan Status for RPI-78M for the treatment of Juvenile or Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Orphan Status for a drug brings many advantages. It gives the sponsoring company tax credits that may amount to as much as 50% of the development costs attributable to qualified clinical testing. This could include remuneration to employees to supervise, carry out and support qualified clinical testing activities.

Orphan Status can also mean a reduction or exemption from FDA fees. Under various statutes, beginning with the Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992 (PDUFA I), the FDA is authorized to assess user and application fees, but it can grant a waiver or deduction of these fees if ‘A waiver or reduction is necessary to protect the public health OR the assessment of the fee would present a significant barrier to innovation because of limited resources available to the person or other circumstances OR the applicant is a small business submitting its first human drug application… for review.’

Orphan Drug status also allows a sponsor exclusive marketing rights for a limited period. Orphan Drug Exclusivity (ODE) is typically for a period of 7 years. After it’s granted, the FDA may not approve applications for generic or second innovator products that contain the same active ingredient and are labeled for the same orphan indication. It may, however, accept such applications, and it may accept and approve applications for drugs having the same active moiety, for a different indication. Also, the FDA may accept and approve a subsequent orphan drug application for the ‘same drug’ and the ‘same orphan indication’, if the applicant demonstrates that the product is ‘clinically superior’, safer, more effective or significantly more convenient than the first drug.’

The Orphan Drug Act was passed by Congress in 1983 to encourage research and development of treatments for rare diseases. An orphan drug is a drug intended to treat a condition affecting fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States, or which will not be profitable within 7 years following approval by the FDA. Orphan status and FDA approval are not the same thing. Orphan status does not mean that the FDA has approved the drug.

The right to marketing exclusivity is a valuable one, as Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals have shown. An enlightening article (http://dtn.fm/4bKpR) in Science Translational Medicine tells the amazing saga of Daraprim, or pyrimethamine. The drug was approved by the FDA back in 1953 and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), which disposed of its U.S. marketing rights to CorePharma in 2010. CorePharma was later acquired by Impax, which sold Daraprim to Turing for $55 million. In the GlaxoSmithKline days, Daraprim went for about $1 per tablet. After its acquisition by CorePharma, it was selling for around $10 per tablet. Now, Shkreli has appeared before Congress to explain Turing’s decision to raise the price from $13 to $750.

Nutra Pharm has also applied (in December 2015) for Orphan Status for its RPI-78M treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG). In a recent letter to shareholders, Deitsch said, “It is our goal to complete the Phase I/II trials in pediatric MS over the next 18 months and then either move into Phase III trials or seek a licensing partner. As we have always stated, it is our eventual goal over the next several years to market or license our drugs for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and HIV/AIDS. This represents the true potential of Nutra Pharma as a Bio-Pharmaceutical company.”

For more information on the company, visit www.NutraPharma.com

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Almost everyone loves to travel and seek out exotic destinations around the globe. However, accommodations can be such an expensive and unfulfilling experience when staying at hotels that all look the same and are located in the same areas of town. Wouldn’t it be great if we could stay in a luxurious, fully-furnished condo anywhere on the planet for a price that’s much less than the local Hilton (NYSE: HLT)? Well, the good news is that you can, and all you have to do is become a part owner of a timeshare or just have the desire to travel and take advantage of FlexWeek, Inc.’s (OTC: FXWK) innovative and efficient marketplace.

FlexWeek is a global peer-to-peer marketplace that allows timeshare owners to discover, book, and offer unused vacation time directly to the public and other timeshare owners. The company is similar to the very popular $20 billion business model of AirBNB, but FlexWeek is the first and only peer-to-peer marketplace exclusive to fractional vacation ownerships. With FlexWeek, there is no need for costly trading platforms such as Interval International or RCI. Also, since the platform charges booking fees to the renter of the vacation time instead of the property owner, FlexWeek eliminates the cost to the private timeshare owner.

Timeshare sales volume peaked at $10.6 billion in 2007, but then fell significantly in the next two years due to the recession – hitting a floor at $6.3 billion in 2009. Since 2009, the industry has undergone a steady growth period. In 2014, the industry recorded its fifth straight year of sales volume increase. With the industry getting better and more people investing in timeshares, the opportunities for a company like FlexWeek are bountiful. Much like Priceline (NASDAQ: PCLN) facilitates the process of finding the best deals on flights, rental cars, and hotels, FlexWeek makes the experience of finding the best deal on a timeshare anywhere in the world a very easy and affordable undertaking.

Traveling and seeing the different sights and sounds of various cultures should be breathtaking during the day while checking off your itinerary, but why not enjoy some of the comforts of home with a cozy, furnished timeshare for the same or a fraction of the price of an expensive resort or hotel? FlexWeek has the solution for this problem with its worldwide marketplace.

For more information, visit www.flexweek.com

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Earlier today, Agora Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AGHI), parent company of Geegle Media, announced that it is in the final stages of preparation for the launch of FRAME, an organizational tool for the management of popular social media and subscription-based accounts. FRAME, which is designed to meet the needs of consumers who use multiple social media websites and platforms on a daily basis, consolidates users’ social media accounts into a single, accessible location. According to company data, the social media management market offers considerable potential for future growth, as it is relatively new and features plenty of room for innovation moving forward.

“Imagine FRAME as a single door that leads to many rooms. Each room represents a website that we log into several times each day,” Dan Terziev, chief executive officer of Geegle Media, stated in a news release. “Rather than signing in several times, logging once into FRAME is sufficient to bring together all your social media accounts, making a far more organized and engaging social media experience.”

After logging into FRAME, users can seamlessly view news feeds and content from all of their supported social media accounts – including those from popular networks such as Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR). FRAME will also allow users to post content directly from its highly intuitive dashboard, greatly improving the efficiency with which consumers use social media. The desktop version of FRAME is ready for launch and set for release later this month, while the mobile version, which is being developed for both Android and iOS, remains in Beta stage.

Unlike many of the established players in the social media management space, Agora plans to offer free access to FRAME for non-commercial users, a strategy that’s expected to earn the platform a significant competitive advantage over existing social media management apps that charge all users a subscription fee. In addition to implementing this strategy to attract an active user base, the company has also outlined plans to expand its platform’s functionality with Facebook and Twitter while also integrating control of ancillary sites and services such as Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr (NASDAQ: YHOO), eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) in the near future.

In a news release, Terziev went on to describe plans to implement control of email accounts in a future iteration of FRAME.

“It is not uncommon for the average person to have several running email accounts, be it for professional and personal use,” he stated. “We are looking into bringing FRAME’s one-password, all-access concept to emails as well.”

According to a 2015 study by Pew Research Center (http://dtn.fm/t7c6J), more than half of internet users are active on two or more social media sites, up from about 42 percent in 2013. Among these users, roughly 70 percent of Facebook users are active daily – along with 49 percent of Instagram users, 36 percent of Twitter users, 17 percent of Pinterest users and 13 percent of LinkedIn users. As it prepares to launch FRAME, Agora will look to capitalize on this expansive market, promoting strong industry growth in the months to come.

For more information, visit www.agoraholdingsinc.com

The recent announcement by OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) of a new strategic partnership with the Japanese software developer, Aplix IP Holdings Corp., shows that the Fairport Harbor, Ohio, company is exploring new frontiers in the pet technology market. Just as new digital technologies have expanded and are continuing to expand our capabilities, they are opening up new possibilities for our pets.

There are existing pet tech devices on the market currently, allowing you to stay in complete contact with your pets. One of the most basic pet tech devices is, of course, a GPS tracker. A tracker can substantially reduce the amount of time you spend in a state of anxious insecurity regarding your pet’s whereabouts. Then, if you want to see where your dog goes (and who doesn’t?) there’s a company that makes a harness fitted with a camera. As pet-parents become more comfortable with new technologies for themselves, it’s apparent they will want to extend their application to the pet members of the family.

Social media is not only for pet-parents. You may have your Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) account. Your dog can have a homepage on Pack. Pack allows you or your dog, it’s not clear which, to ‘connect with your pack’. If you have a Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) account, why don’t you get one for your canine? Puppy Tweets is an electronic dog tag that sends messages to your home computer, and then Tweets to you. Welcome to a brave new world!

The technology that may help OurPet’s Company get a paw-hold in these lucrative markets may be the WirelessIDEA platform. Aplix IP Holdings Corp. showcased its WirelessIDEA software-based technology for machine to machine (M2M) applications at the International CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment trade show in San Diego back in October 2009. WirelessIDEA provides tools that enable rapid development of M2M applications. Aplix is well-known for its JBlend, a Java Micro Edition (Java ME) platform for embedded software, which has been installed in close to three-quarters of a billion devices worldwide.

This sort of innovation is nothing new to OurPet’s Company. The company has a history of developing bright ideas. Its first was the introduction of the Big Dog Feeder, which made it easier for big dogs to eat by elevating the feeding bowl – low tech, but effective. The Big Dog Feeder has, over the years, enjoyed great success, but OurPet’s Company isn’t the sort of outfit to rest on its laurels. Its founder is an enterprising dynamic engineer who has been elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Today, the company actually sells more toys for pets than feeding products. In recent years, OurPet’s Company has been growing at twice the rate of the industry. Since 2010, it has had an annual compounded growth rate of about 6%. That seems very likely to increase as OurPet’s Company gears up in pet tech.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

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Victory Energy Corp. (OTCQB: VYEY) is an independent, growth-oriented oil and natural gas exploration and production company focused on the acquisition and development of active oil and natural gas properties throughout Texas. The company’s current portfolio of assets includes interests in various proven formations – including the Spraberry, Wolfcamp, Wolfberry, Mississippian, Cline and Fusselman formations. Utilizing a low-risk vertical well development strategy, Victory Energy aims to follow a predictable and proven business model focused on the acquisition of properties in well-known basins –populated by top-tier exploration and production firms – that are likely to provide return of investment capital in two years or less.

As the price of crude oil has tumbled over the past year to its lowest point in more than a decade, Victory Energy has leveraged operations and investment capital from long-term partner Navitus Energy Group in order to explore growth opportunities presented by punitive commodity pricing environments. While most analysts predict these historic headwinds to persist throughout the remainder of 2016, Kenny Hill, chief executive officer of Victory Energy, stated that current market conditions, coupled with a proposed $75 million credit facility from boutique investment banking firm MLV & Co. LLC, should present tremendous opportunities for the company to scale in the coming months.

“We have worked diligently with our investment banker to review several acquisition targets, holding significant proved producing reserves, limited mandatory development risk and limited lease expiration exposure,” Hill stated in a news release in October 2015. “We are actively working with the sellers to reach agreeable terms and we remain in position to act swiftly and to act in size as additional opportunities with similar low-risk profiles present themselves.”

The company reinforced this hypothesis in November when it entered into a Letter of Intent to acquire 181 net barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOEPD). Victory Energy expects the acquisition to result in roughly 80 percent working interest in three producing wells, as well as about 40 percent working interest in 1,370 net acres that are currently held by production. The company intends to use the significant increase in cash flow resulting from this acquisition to support its continued pursuit of accretive acquisitions made available by the current commodity price environment. The consummation of this acquisition is subject to the completion of due diligence review and approval from certain third parties.

“With a successful completion of this transaction, Victory would grow daily consolidated production from 50 to ~230 BOEPD, a substantial growth which we feel comes at a very favorable value,” Hill continued. “This transaction marks the first of several opportunities that we expect to pursue in the coming year.”

The current commodity price cycle is placing additional pressure on companies in the oil and gas space to sell assets in order to offset revenues lost to low oil prices. This pressure results in a promising opportunity for well-capitalized players to find opportunities to rapidly invest and grow in the oil and gas industry. Benefitting from capital accessible through its partnership with Navitus Energy Group and an acquisition-based growth strategy that’s already being implemented, Victory Energy could be primed to record strong results in upcoming quarters.

For more information, visit www.vyey.com

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The global market for lithium ion batteries is a fast growing one and is expected to cross $30 billion by 2020. It continues to advance as high power and high capacity cells increase penetration into large-format applications. Vying for market adoption, the lithium-ion chemistry competes heavily with established energy storage technologies, such as lead acid, in many of these applications. However, key performance characteristics have enabled lithium-ion to increase market penetration, resulting in growth opportunities. Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) has two production facilities in Melbourne, Florida, making high quality lithium-ion batteries with the ‘Made in the USA’ label.

Lithium-ion batteries are most commonly used in small consumer devices like smartphones and laptops. However, more recently, lithium-ion technology is being used in electric vehicles and storage applications. The electric car market is growing rapidly and, after visiting a local Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) dealership, the reasons are obvious. Someone can buy an electric car with 762 horsepower, drive it for 300 miles, recharge it from any common outlet or charge station for free, and continue on their cross-country trek. When buying an electric car, the purchaser receives a substantial tax credit and doesn’t have any maintenance issues – like an oil change or tire rotation – for 50,000 miles.

Oakridge Global is in position to benefit from this growing trend. Its innovative ‘Made in the USA’ product line includes multiple lithium-ion technologies and form factors that are optimized to address three high-demand target markets – including stationary and grid storage; motive applications, such as electric and hybrid electric fleet vehicles; and specialty applications, such as military, aerospace, marine, medical and telecom backup.

It’s only a matter of time before people begin calculating their yearly gas bill and compare it to the more efficient, environmentally friendly electric vehicle option. Charge stations are multiplying rapidly and many hotels are jumping on board by adding them to locations across the country. Oakridge Global offers a high quality product with domestic roots and, more importantly, domestic jobs. ‘Made in the USA’ is beginning to mean something again, and people are taking this into consideration when shopping for big purchase items such as cars, motorcycles, boats, RV’s, etc.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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When adults walk into a Giggles N’ Hugs (OTCQB: GIGL) location, the message that greets them is “come in and relax.” When children step through the door, it’s “come in and play.” That Giggles N’ Hugs is able to effectively promote these competing, yet complementary ideas is a testament to how well the company excels in its niche market.

Giggles N’ Hugs owns and operates a trio of kid-friendly, adult-friendly and family-friendly restaurants in Southern California. The company’s award-winning restaurants are groundbreaking; each location unites high-end, organic food with active, cutting-edge play and entertainment for children. “Come eat and relax while the kids play” is Giggles’ N’ Hugs’ decisive appeal, and it is one that reaches directly into the hearts and minds of the parents who frequent its restaurants.

What Giggles N’ Hugs does successfully is no small feat. With its unique playscapes, which span anywhere from 900 to 2,000 square feet, the company lures in parents and kids, then gets them to stay longer.

By keeping Mom and Dad closely in mind, the company has been able to provide added benefits — both large and small — with far-reaching consequences. First, Giggles N’ Hugs offers charging stations and Wi-Fi for parents who wish to wait in the lounge areas next to the company’s play areas. Second, in addition to providing cushy play areas for kids (10 years and younger) and lounge areas for their adult parents, the company ensures that its restaurant offerings are healthier than other places. Third, it also maintains a drop-off service for parents who might need some time alone in order to get some shopping done. In providing play areas that are both lively and convenient, the company entices kids while also keeping its other key constituents — their parents — happy.

In the six years since its founding, Giggles N’ Hugs has proven its concept, and the opportunity to expand seems to be waiting in the wings. A ton of celebrities are already helping to promote the company, and, on top of that, the largest mall owners and mall designers in the U.S. (e.g. Westfield Corp. (OTC: WEFIF), Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) and General Growth Properties (NYSE:GGP)) have begun rolling out the red carpet to win the company as a tenant.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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GTX Corp. (OTC: GTXO), a provider of wearable monitoring and tracking solutions using GPS, Cellular and BLE technology, is set to present at the upcoming 2nd Annual Innovations Investor Conference in Miami, Florida, where the company will detail its market, partnerships, corporate operations and more, before hosting its own shareholder meeting the next day.

The 2nd Annual Innovations Investor Conference, taking place February 22, enables emerging public and private companies to showcase their products, services and programs, and creates an atmosphere where the companies can collaborate and exchange ideas with potential strategic partners, present their innovative technologies and products, network, and access private and institutional investors.

On February 23, GTX Corp will host its Shareholders Meeting, where shareholders can meet one-on-one with the company and hear about its plans for 2016.

“We plan to discuss a host of topics, including: the size and scope of our market and some new markets we are exploring, our technology roadmap and where we see the industry going, our channels of distributions and our recent expansion in Latin America. We plan to demonstrate the significance of our global partnerships and how the collective of these alliances are contributing to our growth and value proposition. We will discuss some of the recent insurance reimbursement codes and government vendor numbers we have been issued. And we will also discuss our IP portfolio and the recent patents we were granted from the family tree of patent 286, including how this affects our position in the multibillion dollar wearables industry. We look forward to seeing you in South Florida as we have a lot to talk about at the conference and more in depth at the shareholder meeting,” GTX Corp CEO Patrick Bertagna stated in the news release.

Conference Information: Monday, February 22, 2016, at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, presented by SeeThruEquity and The Brewer Group.

Shareholder Meeting Information: Tuesday, February 23, 2015, at 10:30 a.m. at the Parkland Golf & Country Club, located at 10001 Old Club Rd, Parkland, Florida, 33076.

* The company encourages shareholders who have not yet registered to attend the Shareholders Meeting, to do so by February 15, 2016, by clicking on the investor page at www.gtxcorp.com

For more information, visit www.gtxcorp.com

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Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death in the top 10 in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured, or slowed. That’s a scary reality for families with loved ones afflicted with this disease. Acceptance is the first word that comes to mind for dealing with Alzheimer’s, and this means to accept the fact that your loved one is never going to be who they used to be. As a result, the best thing to do is to make their quality of life the best it can possibly be while they are still here on this earth. Alzheimer’s usually leads to wandering due to memory loss, which can be a terrifying situation as long as no preventative measures are applied. GTX Corp. (OTC: GTXO) offers its patented GPS-enabled “Smart” insoles, which fit easily into most adult shoes and let caregivers monitor the whereabouts of loved ones who may have a tendency to wander or are at risk of becoming disoriented and lost.

With GPS SmartSole, there’s no need for people living with Alzheimer’s to remember to carry a separate tracking device. They need only to slip on their shoes and go – like they normally would. You can track their location through any smartphone, tablet or web browser and set up text and e-mail alerts if they leave or enter defined areas on a map. The GPS SmartSole provides peace of mind for family members and those caring for the millions of people suffering from memory impairment and wandering, which can be caused by Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury or other cognitive memory disabilities.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association website (http://dtn.fm/j50Hc). Only 45 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease or their caregivers report being told of their diagnosis, whereas more than 90 percent of people with cancer report their diagnosis. Basically, individuals tend to ignore and avoid the problem instead of accepting things as they are and using a product like GTX Corp.’s SmartSole to always know where their loved ones are. GTXO offers a practical and realistic answer to this growing problem – every 67 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s.

Looking the other way never solves anything. The first step toward progress and development is acknowledging what is and then using the resources available to make the best of the situation. A cure for Alzheimer’s may one day be discovered, but for now, we have to swallow the painful reality of our current circumstances and use technologies like GTX Corp.’s SmartSole to keep track of our loved ones.

For more information, visit www.gtxcorp.com

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