With events in Toronto, Vancouver and even as far away as Hong Kong, the CSE team hit the ground running in the first month of 2016. Here are some brief highlights from the CSE’s most recent adventures.

Vancouver Resource Investment Conference

To succeed in the mining and exploration space takes tenacity and resilience and, it seems, this year has definitely been a test of that resolve.

Fortunately for the investors and companies that attended this year’s Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) there were many interesting stories that highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the natural resource sectors.

In addition to exhibiting at this year’s conference, the CSE was also a sponsor of VRIC and Richard Carleton, CEO of the Canadian Securities Exchange, participated in a panel discussion with John McCoach of the TSX Venture on the role that securities exchanges can play in helping listed companies weather the current economic storm.

Among the topics discussed, one that was certainly on the minds of many in attendance was the ability of many junior mining and exploration companies to navigate a challenging moment in their economic cycle.

For its part, the CSE referenced its commitment to streamlining both the costs and burden associated with maintaining a public listing as one of the ways to lower the cost of capital for junior companies.

Overall it was another great opportunity to connect with investors and entrepreneurs, as well as to showcase how companies listed on the CSE are benefiting from an efficient public listing model.

AME Roundup & Bonspiel

What happens when you give a group of mining and exploration professionals a sheet of ice, some brooms and the promise of a great after-party? Well a few folks from the CSE found exactly what at this year’s AME Bonspiel held at the Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver.

The AME Roundup and accompanying curling event were great opportunities to connect with the mining and exploration community and take the pulse of the industry at a challenging time in its economic cycle. Encouragingly, there were many bright spots, including the fact that demand for the AME Roundup remains strong from both industry participants and exhibitors as well as attendees.

Check out some photos of the CSE team hurrying-not-so-hard…

Cantech Investment Conference

Despite the challenges in other sectors, technology has been one area that has continued to attract interest and investment from various markets. Against that backdrop, the Cantech Investment Conference in Toronto brought together a number of key players in the tech investment scene from big names in VC to dozens of innovative tech companies looking to showcase their new and sometimes disruptive solutions.

Several CSE-listed firms were among the firms exhibiting this year. Specifically HealthSpace Informatics Ltd. (CSE:HS), NuRAN Wireless Inc. (CSE:NUR), Plus8 Global Ventures Ltd. (CSE:PGT) and PUDO Inc. (CSE:PDO) were great examples of the kinds of innovative technology firms helping to fuel the growth at the Exchange for Entrepreneurs.

To stay up to date on where to meet team members from the CSE or to find out about upcoming events of interest to entrepreneurs, be sure to visit the CSE events calendar often.

If you’re in Toronto this March, stop by the PDAC and meet the CSE team at our booth or at our special lunch reception.

Even though February in Montréal can be quite chilly, the CSE’s 5 á 7 networking reception at the prestigious Mount Royal Club was a hot spot of company pitches, great food & wine and innovative entrepreneurs.

This recent networking reception, which was co-sponsored by MNP LLP, brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and key decision makers within the local investment community. Not only were they able to meet and greet with one another but there was also the opportunity to meet with members of the CSE team  including CEO of the Canadian Securities Exchange, Richard Carleton; VP Listings Development, James Black; Quebec Representative, Scott Pritchard and Director of Listed Company Services, Barrington Miller.

As part of the reception, the following four listed issuers in the technology and mining sectors had the opportunity to showcase their stories with three minute ‘pitches’ to those in attendance:

• NuRAN Wireless Inc. (NUR)
• Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. (MOS)
• Montana Gold Mining Company Inc. (MGM)
• Peak Positioning Technologies Inc. (PKK)

Barrington Miller, Director of Listed Company Services at the CSE described the event as “an incredible success” and stated that “it was fantastic to see so many industry leaders, representatives and participants in the same room.”

Browse the gallery below for photos from the event and be sure to check out the events calendar or follow the CSE on Twitter for more information on upcoming networking events.

Venturing into uncharted territory is not for the faint of heart. For many entrepreneurs and investors in the fledgling medical marijuana sector, however, uncharted territory is something everyone seems to be taking in stride. Earlier this month, Jacob Securities organized their first Canada Cannabis Conference, an event that brought together numerous business and thought leaders from across the commercial cannabis space.

One of the key reasons for holding this conference was to bring together many key players and evaluate the licensing process within Canada as well as some of the early lessons from the initial licensees.

While the conference was modest in size, owing in part to the fact that it was an ‘invite only’ event, there was nonetheless strong interest for most of the sessions – with some being standing room only.

Attendees ranged from international accredited and institutional investors to representatives from strategic industry groups, most notably insurance and pharmacy owners. Overall, there was a definite sense that the investing climate for medical marijuana companies is considerably different this year compared to last.

In fact, one of the defining characteristics of the medical marijuana industry is just how quickly it is maturing. According to Jacob Securities analyst Khurram Malik the sector is evolving “faster than anything I’ve seen.”

According to data from Health Canada, there are 25 licensed producers and, as of March 31^st there have been 1284 applications received with 324 of those applications currently in process. According to Malik, with the first cohort of licensed producers beginning to see revenues start to come in, more supply is reaching the market, and with more on its way investors and analysts will begin to have a clearer picture of how to value companies in this space based on supply/demand dynamics.

The CSE has also witnessed a rapid and sizeable interest in this growing sector. CSE CEO Richard Carleton had the following observation about where the Cannabis sector is heading and why so many firms are looking to the Canadian market to list:

“Canada has emerged as the clear source of public finance to the emerging industry in its various guises. With relatively fewer complexities to navigate, US domiciled companies are looking to Canadian corporate finance firms for access to public equity raised through an exchange listing in Canada. Increasingly, the exchange of choice is the CSE.  Not only do we have more than 30 companies in the space in some way, we have a number of large deals in the pipeline, many of them from the US.”

Even so, there are still signs of an industry in flux. Just this past month alone there were three blockbuster announcements around the space.

First, there was a historic decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to allow for sale/distribution of edible marijuana products and then came the news of a major merger deal between two important players in the space: Tweed Marijuana Inc. and Bedrocan Cannabis Corp. And, in Vancouver, the city just passed a by-law regulating where medical marijuana dispensaries may locate.

As the industry continues to evolve, attitudes are also changing towards medical marijuana use. One of the key observations from the Canada Cannabis Conference was the attendance and interest from both the insurance industry as well as from pharmacist groups who, for the most part, have been observing from the sidelines.

While the ‘heady’ days of last spring are behind us, the prospects for the medical marijuana space as a whole appear promising. This highly dynamic space still has many questions to answer and regulatory bridges to cross before becoming a well-established treatment option.

Overall, feedback on Jacob Securities’ initial Canada Cannabis Conference was  very positive. With a diverse range of market participants, both local and international, as well as in-depth coverage of the medical marijuana landscape, this conference provided a fascinating window into a space many are eager to see grow.