It would appear that career guidance and development platforms and consumer engagement experiences, Dev Clever (DEV) is gathering momentum on the fundamental front, with recent newsflow accelerating in this direction. The latest is that the acquisition of The Inspirational Learning Group has been completed after being unveiled last month. TILG's activities, which are profitable, are set to complement Dev Clever's existing platforms and content. Dev will use TILG programmes to launch its own National Career Challenge will be available to students in the UK during late Q4 2021, and also rolled out in India.
There was plenty to report from under the radar Armenia / Kyrgyz Republic gold group Chaarat Holdings (CGH) on the occasion of its production and operational results for the half year ended 30 June 2021. The company said it has achieved a significantly higher EBITDA and slightly improved AISC at Kapan deleveraging the asset and allowing for an East Flank extension. Shahumyan mine production was 25,896 gold equivalent ounces vs 27,140 oz in H1 2020 (-4.6%). From here there was a preliminary EBITDA contribution of $13.5 million vs $4.1m in H1 2020 (+229%). Overall, a funding packing in February has led to Chaarat’s net debt position being reduced by 71%, from $64.5m as of 31 December 2020 to $18.5m in June 2021.
CBD and hemp product supplier Love Hemp (LIFE) continues to accelerate its growth as brand recognition and interest in CBD products grows in the UK. The company offered its unaudited post-close trading update for the year ended 30 June 2021, as revenue totalled £4.31 million, a 60% increase on FY20. The number of units sold in FY21 increasing 244% from FY20 to 188,865. Not surprisingly, this led to stronger revenue in H1 2021, of £2.38 million, compared to £1.93 million in H2 2021, driven by large orders from Boots and Holland & Barrett. Love Hemp is set to launch its first major marketing campaign ahead of Christmas in partnership with Boxing Champion Anthony Joshua, and is preparing to launch into new geographies, including the much larger US market. The company said it expects to double its revenue in FY22.
Online threat hunter / eliminator Brandshield Systems (BRSD) is beefing up its board with a Silicon Valley heavyweight as Harel Kodesh joined the company as a Non-Executive Director. Kodesh was previously operating Partner at Silver Lake Partners, a global leader in technology investments with $74 Billion in combined assets under management. Prior to Silver Lake, he served as Vice President at Predix and Chief Technology Officer at GE Digital. The appointment underlines Brandshield’s intention to drive further expansion in the US, where much of the PR of the company is being directed and the merits of online threat hunting are particularly appreciated.
There was a clear sign that Oracle Power (ORCP) is enhancing its capability as a fully fledged gold play, a point underlined by the announcement of Edward Mead as Exploration Manager for Oracle's Western Australian gold projects. Mead is a qualified geologist with more than 25 years' experience in gold and base metals exploration. Oracle is also announced the submission of a Programme of Work for the Northern Zone Gold Project. The first phase here is to complete 7 Reverse Circulation drillholes up to 260 metres deep, for a total of 1,500 metres specifically targeting gold mineralisation within a series of stacked porphyry intrusions.
B2B end-to-end digital music solutions group 7Digital (7DIG) saw its shares climb as it announced two new customer wins for its music platform-as-a-service in the healthtech and wellness sector. The company said the new contracts provide additional visibility over full year revenues and anticipated significant growth for 2021. The first contract is with MedRhythms, a US-headquartered digital therapeutics company that uses sensors, music and software to build evidence-based neurologic interventions to measure and improve walking. The second contract is with a company, that is creating a music-based health application for people with dementia, with the platform is due to launch in Europe in 2022.
There was a pat on the back for medical diagnostics company Omega Diagnostics (ODX). It noted the publication of an article by researchers at the University of Birmingham illustrating the use of the AbC-19™ rapid antibody test semi-quantitively, to monitor antibody responses against variants. The AbC-19™ is a lateral flow test for the detection of neutralising IgG antibodies to the full trimeric spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The article demonstrates that the AbC-19TM is able to monitor antibody response following vaccination or natural infection.
It would appear that some in the market are considering that specialist professional supply chain management Ross Group (RGP) is worth backing, as the shares rise sharply for the second consecutive day. The stock has been in recovery mode since the company’s final results reported at the end of June. At the time Ross Group said it was still in the process of restructuring its recent acquisition of four start-up businesses in January 2019 that were wholly-owned subsidiaries within Archipelago Aquaculture Group (AAG).