Planet Microcap Podcast | Microcap Investing Strategies

My guest on the show today is Garvin Jabusch, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer for Green Alpha Advisors. I had last spoken Garvin in April 2020 discussing his investing philosophy then a follow up panel in August 2020 about why ESG and impact investing are taking center stage. It's been three years. Suffice it to say, A LOT has changed since then, across the board, as well as the conversation around ESG. You might be hearing this and thinking that you're about to listen to a full-on ESG podcast. Sure, we discuss the changing discourse around ESG/impact investing, but what I found most fascinating is our discussion around the intersectionality of trends and sectors, which is starting to take center stage in sustainability investing. For more information about Green Alpha Advisors, please visit: https://greenalphaadvisors.com/ You can Follow Garvin Jabusch on Twitter @Garvin1313: https://twitter.com/Garvin1313 Today's episode is sponsored by: Stream by AlphaSense, an expert interview transcript library t

My guest on the show today is Dr. Raj DasGupta, CEO of Electrovaya Inc. (TSX: EFL) (OTCQB: EFLVF). Electrovaya is a technology-focused company with extensive IP, designs, develops, and manufactures proprietary lithium-ion batteries, battery systems, and battery-related products for energy storage, clean electric transportation, and other specialized applications. The Company has acquired a 52-acre site with a 135,000 sq.foot manufacturing building in NY State for its planned Gigafactory, in addition to its two operating locations in Canada.   Electrovaya has been in the battery space for over two decades and has had many "lives" and Raj explains. In 2009, when Raj joined the company, it was in the automotive space and that was their main focus as a battery supplier. What's fascinating about Electrovaya's story to me is how they had make the difficult choice to pivot their business strategy, which we discuss at length, as well as: Why the company pivoted away from delivering batteries for the automotive indust

My guest on the show today is Howard Punch, President and CIO at Punch & Associates Investment Management, Inc. Punch & Associates is a boutique investment advisory firm that has both a Small Cap and MicroCap Equity Strategy available for their clients. I invited Howard on to learn more about their equity strategies, his firm's approach to investing in MicroCaps, as well as their investing philosophy. We also chatted at the top of the conversation about how he would compare this current pessimism in Small/MicroCaps to other times in history where this pessimism existed - his take I found really interesting. As the title states, we did spend the majority of the time talking about categorizing MicroCap CEOs as either "Missionaries" or "Mercenaries", and how deciphering between the two has helped Howard better understand which management teams he wants to invest in. For more information about Punch & Associates, please visit: https://punchinvest.com/ Today's episode is sponsored by: Stream by AlphaSe

My guest on the show today is Roy Olivier, CEO and President of Research Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSSS). Research Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSSS) provides cloud-based technologies to streamline the process of obtaining, managing, and creating intellectual property. Founded in 2006 as Reprints Desk, the company was a pioneer in developing solutions to serve researchers. I did an interview on Planet MicroCap with Avi Fisher from Long Cast Advisors, where he described his thesis about Research Solutions, and so I wanted to invite on Roy to better understand the company, as well as: The company's pivot from an individual articles model to a platform model Industry tailwinds and headwinds What the company looks like in an OpenAccess world, and; Where he would like to see the company in 3-5 years With that, please enjoy my conversation with Roy Olivier, CEO and President of Research Solutions, Inc. For more information about Research Solutions, Inc., please visit: https://www.researchsolutions.com/ Today's episode

For this episode of the Planet MicroCap Podcast, I'm sharing with you the Planet MicroCap Podcast: LIVE panel recording that we did last week at the Planet MicroCap Showcase 2023 at the Horseshoe Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Joining me on this panel are: Ryan Irvine (@RyanIrvine75), Sam Namiri (@snamiri), Harris Perlman (@ottermarket) and Mathieu Martin (@espacemc). Please enjoy! Today's episode is sponsored by: Stream by AlphaSense, an expert interview transcript library that integrates AI-generated call summaries and NLP search technology so their clients can quickly pinpoint the most critical insights. Start your FREE trial on their website: https://streamrg.co/PMC Planet MicroCap Podcast is on YouTube! All archived episodes and each new episode will be posted on the SNN Network YouTube channel. I’ve provided the link in the description if you’d like to subscribe. You’ll also get the chance to watch all our Video Interviews with management teams, educational panels from the conference, as well as exper

My guest on the show today is Darren Chervitz, Portfolio Manager at Jacob Asset Management on the Discovery Fund Strategy. This was the last recording I did prior to the conference, and I'll be sharing the live podcast from Vegas next week. In the last 12-18 months, I've noticed a few firms changing the name of the "MicroCap" strategy to the "Discovery" fund or strategy, and there's a bit more nuance to its reasoning that from a marketing perspective, can be more inclusive. Darren jumps on to discuss the strategy change, plus a full on deep dive into MicroCaps, specifically how he thinks about trends and how that guides his investment process.  For more information about Jacob Asset Management and the Discovery Fund Strategy, please visit: https://jacobam.com/ Today's episode is sponsored by: Stream by AlphaSense, an expert interview transcript library that integrates AI-generated call summaries and NLP search technology so their clients can quickly pinpoint the most critical insights. Start your FREE trial o

My guest on the show today is Jason Kopcak, President, CEO and Director of Altisource Asset Management (NYSE American: AAMC). Altisource Asset Management Corporation (“AAMC”) is a leading boutique alternative asset manager that is focused on building platforms in the multi-trillion dollar alternative asset space. The company has built several businesses that originate and source bespoke credit secured by various types of real estate on behalf of money managers, insurance companies, large institutions and funds. AAMC also has an asset management company that has a deep history across various types of credit, real estate, distressed housing, and mortgages. AAMC has been included as part of the Planet MicroCap Index for two quarters in a row, and in the last quarter alone, Q1 2023, increased about 221%. I wanted to invite on Jason to better understand AAMC's value proposition, as well as: How interest rates have impacted the business What measures need to be taken in order to scale AAMC further How Jason has lev

My guest on the show today is Vijar Kohli, Co-Founder of Golden Door Asset Management, and is a Keynote Speaker at our upcoming conference, the Planet MicroCap Showcase: VEGAS. He'll be speaking on Wednesday, April 26 at 12:30pm in Track 1 following Chris Tessin's presentation. We titled Vijar's presentation in Vegas, "MicroCaps vs. Failed Startups" - the idea for which came from all these failed SPACs in recent years, and perhaps they would've been better going public a different way (or in some cases, not at all). MicroCaps provide a level of transparency (or at least they should and legally obligated to) that small, private venture-stage companies cannot, as well as an opportunity for investors to participate before they get picked up by institutional buyers. Vijar and I talk about this dynamic, the problem with public markets for MicroCaps and some especially hot takes that you'll have to tune in to hear. For more information about Golden Door Asset Management, please visit: https://www.goldendoorasset.co

My guest on the show today is Allan Grafman, CEO of IDW Media Holdings (NYSE American: IDW). IDW (NYSE American: IDW) is an integrated media company providing compelling stories and characters for global audiences. The IDW Publishing and IDW Entertainment businesses acquire IP for holistic franchise development across comics and graphic novels, television and other entertainment platforms and leverage established stories from our creative partners. Allan was recently named CEO in August 2022, and has been in charge of leading the turnaround for IDW. As IDW's Chairman, Howard Jonas stated in the press release announcing Allan's appointment: “He is a dynamic leader with deep experience in the industries in which IDW operates with a clear, thoughtful vision for accelerating IDW’s transformation into a media powerhouse." I've known IDW for many years now, interviewing multiple CEOs on behalf of the company, so I invited Allan on the show to better understand why under his leadership, that could be the catalyst fo

My guest on the show today is John Petrides, Portfolio Manager at Tocqueville Asset Management. This is primarily a MicroCap podcast, we chat all about the world of MicroCap stocks and what is going on in the space. Today, we go macro. There's a world beyond our little bubble here in MicroCaps, and some of what's happening there can have a trickle down effect. John is a regular guest on several financial news networks for his market insights and analysis. I'm putting on my best CNBC / Fox Business anchor hat and we cover as many 2023 macro trends as we can and how they may affect our MicroCap world.  For more information about John Petrides and Tocqueville Asset Management, please visit: https://tocqueville.com/ You can Follow John Petrides on Twitter @Jpetrides2: https://twitter.com/Jpetrides2 Today's episode is sponsored by: Stream by AlphaSense, an expert interview transcript library that integrates AI-generated call summaries and NLP search technology so their clients can quickly pinpoint the most critica

My guest on the show today is Warren Kruger, CEO of Greystone Logistics, Inc. (OTCQB: GLGI). Greystone Logistics, Inc. is focused on the fast-growing plastic segment of the $9.5 billion pallet industry, with its manufacturing facility located in Bettendorf, IA and its Executive offices located in Tulsa, OK. For those wondering what a pallet is, those are the flat wooden structures that heavy goods are put so that they can be moved using a fork-lift truck. One of the key differentiators is that they manufacture recycled plastic pallets vs. those traditional wooden pallets that you've for sure seen at your local Costco. While some folks might see the pallet industry as a sexy business, most folks in our investing world would lovingly refer to Greystone as a classic boring company. Some of my favorite interviews are with classic boring companies because I get to learn more about a topic that I never thought I would. That's why I invited on Warren, to share more about Greystone Logistics, and: How Greystone's pal

My guest on the show today is Chris Tessin, Managing Partner and CIO of Acuitas Investments. As the title states, Acuitas is the largest allocator to MicroCap managers in the world - their Microcap strategy pursues its investment objective using a multi-manager process by allocating assets among one or more high confidence managers that invest in inefficient segments of the equity markets. I wanted to learn more about their MicroCap fund of funds strategy and their experience working with MicroCap managers. I've had a number of conversations with MicroCap fund managers in recent months, and in addition to the rough performance amongst MicroCap stocks, redemptions and lack of in-flows have also been a cause for concern. And what's worse, everyone and their grandparents agree, almost every quality MicroCap (and small cap) have taken haircuts across the board - now is one of the best times to dive deep on names trading at much cheaper prices. Managers need new in-flows in order to participate. This is where allo

My guest on the show today is Ryan Goepel, CFO of Global Crossing Airlines Group, Inc. (NEO: JET) (OTCQB: JETMF). Global Crossing Airlines Group, also known as GlobalX, is a US 121 domestic flag and supplemental Airline flying the Airbus A320 family aircraft. GlobalX flies as a passenger ACMI and charter airline serving the US, Caribbean, European and Latin American markets. In 2023, GlobalX entered ACMI cargo market flying the A321 freighter. I found Global Crossing Airlines Group on several forums I subscribe to, notably on MicroCapClub, and you might be asking yourself, oh boy, an airline, here we go. However, since starting the company in January 2020, Global Crossing Airlines has grown significantly and I wanted to better understand how and why this occurred, plus: Global Crossing's growth goals and how they hope to achieve them Original thesis for the company's founding Addressing downside risks/adding more planes to the fleet; and How folks understand the company With that, please enjoy my conversatio

My guests on the show today are Josh Womack and Tom Carey from Womack Capital Partners. This episode is especially timely with our conference coming up in Las Vegas because, as we covered here many times before, when you invest in a MicroCap stocks, you're primarily making a bet on the jockey aka management. That means part of your due diligence process, in my opinion, should be listening to conference calls, interviews, presentations management has done, as well as meet with management in a 1x1 meeting and asking as many questions as you have. We've done many episodes discussing the do's and don'ts of speaking with management, but surprisingly, we'd never done anything about how we should think about the information conveyed. That's where Josh and Tom enter the conversation, both of whom have an immense amount of experience meeting with management. Tom's background, in particular, I think differentiates their research process - his transition from doing investor relations full-time to being on the buy-side I

My guest on the show today is Greg Reid, President and CEO of Kraken Robotics (TSX-V: PNG, OTCQB: KRKNF). Kraken Robotics Inc. is a marine technology company providing complex subsea sensors, batteries, and robotic systems. Their high-resolution 3D acoustic imaging solutions and services enable clients to overcome the challenges in our oceans – safely, efficiently, and sustainably. Kraken Robotics is headquartered in Canada and has offices in North and South America and Europe. Kraken is ranked as a Top 100 marine technology company by Marine Technology Reporter. Since I first interviewed Greg back in 2017, the company has grown to the point of announcing on January 12, 2023, they expect to Report $40 Million in 2022 Revenue, up 56% Year-Over-Year. I wanted to invite Greg on to better understand: The inflection points resulting in revenue growth Geopolitical tailwinds Commercial opportunities outside their core Defense customer base, and; Greg's 3-5 year vision for Kraken Robotics Kraken Robotics will also b

My guest on the show today is Ryan Irvine, Founder of Keystone Financial. He'll be joining us in Las Vegas, where not only will he be on the Planet MicroCap Podcast: LIVE panel along with Sam Namiri, Harris Perlman and Mathieu Martin, Ryan will be moderating a few sessions with companies that are within the "Keystone Coverage" universe. Ryan's firm, Keystone Financial, is an independent research firm that provides their investors with BUY/SELL/HOLD advice on undervalued micro, small, and mid-cap growth and value stocks. As their website states, "Real companies, producing real revenue and earnings growth, trading at low prices." In our conversation today, we dive deeper into Keystone's investing strategy plus a quick overview on two of the companies that Ryan will be doing fireside chats with: Envela, ELA on the NYSE American, and Geodrill, GEO on the TSX. Fore more information about Keystone Financial, please visit: https://keystocks.com/ You can Follow Ryan Irvine on Twitter @RyanIrvine75: https://twitter.co

My guest on the show today is Anthony Ambrose, President & CEO of Data I/O (NASDAQ: DAIO). Data I/O (NASDAQ: DAIO) is a global provider of advanced data and security deployment solutions. These solutions are used by some of the world’s largest manufacturers, programming centers, and contract manufacturers to securely program integrated circuits and bring their electronic devices to life. Virtually every electronic product today incorporates one or more programmable semiconductor devices that contain data and operating instructions essential for the proper operation of the product.   You hear that description, and one thinks, "ok, I can wrap my head around that", but then when you ask the question after, "ok, well what does that mean?", that's when the fun part of being a hightech MicroCap comes into play. Now, what do I mean when I say that - well, not every MicroCap story is as simple as a consumer goods story or some SaaS platform - that is both what provides opportunity and, conversely, barriers to ent

My guest on the show today is Maj Soueidan, Founder & CEO of GeoInvesting.com. In my opinion, Maj is a legend in MicroCap investing. In my nearly 10+ years of getting to know Maj, his investing style, and how he evaluates companies, he's on the Mount Rushmore of MicroCap investors of the last 20+ years. This is the reason I invite Maj to be a guest on my show, as well as headline any conference we do. When he speaks, you should listen, and if you have a chance to meet him and chat with him, you should. Maj will be hosting a Top Tier Track on Day 2 of our upcoming conference: the Planet MicroCap Showcase, happening on April 25-27, 2023. This has been an idea we've chatted about for years and finally making it happen. Basically, MicroCap management teams that fit Maj's "Top Tier" criteria (which we describe in today's pod), will be giving 10-15 overviews of their businesses followed by Q&A with Maj and the audience. I'm really excited about this part of our agenda, and wanted to dedicate an episode of t

My guest on the show today is Dr. Halden Shane, CEO & Chairman of TOMI™ Environmental Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: TOMZ). TOMI™ Environmental Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: TOMZ) is a global decontamination and infection prevention company, providing environmental solutions for disinfection through the manufacturing, sales and licensing of its premier Binary Ionization Technology® (BIT™) platform.   Invented under a defense grant in association with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense, BIT™ solution utilizes a low percentage hydrogen peroxide as its only active ingredient and uses patented ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP™) technology in all SteraMist systems to create superior disinfection.   I've seen TOMI present at many investor conferences and this was my first opportunity to interview management. Needless to say, I took full advantage, covering an array of topics including: Deeper dive into the five divisions of the company, and the division Dr. Shane is part

My guest on the show today is Patrick Flood, Investment Analysts for the LATAM Stocks Newsletter. Latin America consists of 20 countries and a population of more than 650 million people, and it is one of, maybe even the most under followed and under invested regions in the world. Is it geopolitical risk (no doubt there's that and not diminishing the significance of that risk whatsoever - we talk about it at length), but could it also be, well - it's also really hard to find good information about investments in Latin America, especially in English. That's where Patrick and his newsletter, LATAM Stocks enters the conversation. He's an expat, who's been living in Brazil full time for the last 10 years, After starting out working at a boutique asset manager, he moved on to work as an M&A analyst at a family office, then went on to work as Chief Gringo (yes that’s an official job title, look it up) at one of the largest crypto currency exchanges in Latin America. Equity analysis is his first love, and he does