I will be writing several articles introducing (briefly) all 100 stocks attending the Planet Microcap Showcase this April 22-24 in Vegas, to give you a taste of what companies are showing up and which ones may interest you the most. The final article will be my personal “Top 10” describing the stocks I think the 500 microcap investors attending the event will have the most interest in.
Article #1 covering all stocks in the A’s (LINK HERE)
Article #2 covering stocks B to C (LINK HERE)
Article #3 covering stocks D to F (LINK HERE)
Article #3 covering stocks D to F (LINK HERE)
Article #4 covering stocks G to I (LINK HERE)
Article #5 covering stocks I to K (LINK HERE)
This is not financial advice. I like to sprinkle some of my own personality and opinion into discussion of stocks, and nobody should interpret that as any kind of solicitation to buy or sell a stock. This is simply an article to help you with research, and start discussion.
Enough small talk… there are a lot of stocks to introduce.
Laird Superfood (NYSE: LSF) lairdsuperfood.com/pages/homepage
What they do: Consumer (natural foods) creates award-winning, plant-based superfood products that are delicious and functional.
Potential rewards: I’ve been following the company for a while, and my take after Q3 was:
I really liked the company, no real red flags - my only concern was that I thought their share price was over-valued given the inconsistent growth.
I gave that opinion back in October 2024 when share price was $7.50. Can Laird change my mind now that share price is down to $5.15 ? Their full year 2024 earnings were reported back in February and they’re pretty good. $43M revenue (up 27%) on 40% gross margins (up from 30%), $8.5M cash, no debt, and they reduced their net losses from $10.2M in 2023 to $1.8M in 2024. Pretty significant improvement. With a $53M market cap on $43M revenue and potentially an inflection point to profitability in 2025, and Laird is a company I have high on my watchlist.
Potential risks: Laird sells food, which is a commodity, and is exposed to fluctuation of commodity pricing AND the changing costs (and tariffs) of logistics of those commodities. Just for an example, as good as Laird’s 2024 earnings were, they could have been better. Q4 had “out of stock issues” with some of their SKU’s, because of this margins were down, and this may persist into Q1-2025. Price has also been going up for things like coffee and coconut milk. I have not even thought about the impact of tariffs on Laird. This is a really interesting company as for the “quant investor” in me the numbers are really good, but I definitely see value in speaking with management and getting a better understanding of their planned solutions to the challenges they are facing in 2025.
Lakeland Fire + Safety (NSDQGM: LAKE) www.lakeland.com/us
What they do: Industrials (fire and safety manufacturing) manufactures and sells a comprehensive line of industrial protective clothing and accessories for the industrial and public protective clothing market. Actual name is “Lakeland Industries Inc”.
Potential rewards: I suppose the simplest answer here is that Donald Trumps tariffs wrecked LAKE’s share price gains, and if those tariffs can be moderated then LAKE should experience valuation expansion. Share price was $16 in early 2024, rose to $26 to close out the year, and has now crashed back down to $16 on April 4th. Why? It’s my understanding their main manufacturing facilities are in China, Mexico, and Vietnam (though please go double check that).
Potential risks: I held off writing this article until after LAKE reported full year 2024 earnings. Interestingly enough that’s the same day that Trump cancelled tariffs on every country but China and Canada. LAKE’s share price rocketed up on the news of no tariffs, and then crashed down after hours on the earnings report… that’s not good! The current headlines are “Lakeland Reports Q4 Loss: Misses Revenue Estimates” and produced a $0.54 EPS loss when the markets were expecting a lower $0.43 EPS loss. Management will have some explaining to do at MCC Vegas.
Locafy Limited (NSDQCM: LCFY) locafy.com/
What they do: Services (internet connection and information) a globally recognized software-as-a-service technology company specializing in local search engine marketing.
Potential rewards: Another one? Locafy share price started 2024 at $3.80 and ended 2024 at a “double” over $7 - and is now back down to $3.80 - Crazy! The potential reward is of course going to be getting that excitement back into the stock for another $7+ rally, but can they get there? Well that’s harder to determine as the last earnings I can find on Locafy in the news was their Q1 from 4 months ago (weird?) so there are lots of news releases from the company attending investor conferences and pitching the stock, but the company appears to be struggling a bit with growth and profitability and I don’t have any recent earnings to discuss.
Potential risks: Despite having a $3-8 share price recently this is a tiny $5M market cap stock that has obviously been volatile in the past 12-months either making shareholders lots of money (or losing them lots of money) depending on where you bought and sold. Revenue appears to be dropping recently, they don’t appear to be profitable, and given the company hasn’t reported current earnings (but is willing to continuously pitch the stock at investor conferences) it’s hard for me to take Locafy very seriously right now in any capacity other than a quick trade.
Mama’s Creations, Inc. (NSDQCM: MAMA) mamascreations.com/
What they do: Consumer (packaged foods) a leading marketer and manufacturer of fresh deli prepared foods, found in over 10,000 grocery, mass, club and convenience stores nationally.
Potential rewards: For some reason new and younger investors than myself have really taken to investing in food/ restaurant stocks. Maybe it’s the idea you can be a customer at a company you partially own, and that’s a good feeling? Mama’s Creations are all over the place with a variety of different brands, and I suspect if you check out their website you might find you’ve at least seen them somewhere (probably your grocery store). They just released full year 2025 earnings and they are OK. Revenue was up 19.4% to $123.3M which is great, and they are still profitable, producing a $3.7M net income and giving shareholders a list of accomplishments for the year, and goals for next year. I have to give them a lot of credit, negotiating and securing enough new customers and contracts for a company in this industry to report 19% growth is undeniably outstanding work! Share price is up a solid 46% in 12-months and that’s good enough to get them on my watchlist.
Potential risks: Again I’m not sure why people love food/ restaurants stocks so much. Despite the impressive top line growth (full credit here) they reported only $3.7M of net income (down 43% from last years $6.5M). Food prices, inflation, tariffs, etc… are always a challenge for these companies, but people are paying a market cap of $259M for $3.7M of net income and that’s a P/E valuation higher than Nvidia.
Marpai, Inc. (OTCQX: MRAI) www.marpaihealth.com
What they do: Healthcare (employer/ employee health benefits) a technology platform company which operates subsidiaries that provide TPA and value-oriented health plan services to employers that directly pay for employee health benefits.
Potential rewards: Not a company or stock I know well, so I’ll head straight to their full year 2024 earning which reported revenue of $28.2M (down 24%) on an EPS loss of $1.92 compared to an EPS loss of over $4 last year. Improvement, but still ugly. I’ll leave you with the CEO’s statement on the year:
In a short span, Marpai's team engineered an exceptional turnaround, dramatically reducing losses," stated Damien Lamendola, CEO. "Now, we're propelling the Company towards growth and profitability.
Potential risks: Despite having only a $12M market cap on $28M of revenue (which should be fairly attractive) there are still significant concerns over how Marpai can become profitable while revenue is heading in the wrong direction. Share price agrees with me as Marpai is not only down 60% in 12-months but also down 95% in 5-years.
McCoy Global Inc. (TSX: MCB) www.mccoyglobal.com/
What they do: Energy (technology and solutions) provides equipment and technologies designed to support tubular running operations that enhance wellbore integrity and assist with collecting data for the energy industry in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and Canada.
Potential rewards: I encourage investors to try and find some “warning signs” for McCoy Global, because there aren’t many. McCoy Global has been selling their products to the oil and gas industry for a long time, but has recently patented and is promoting their new SmarTR product which is essential their already proven suite of products combined with a software and data insight platform that gives McCoy a really attractive recurring revenue SaaS component for future growth. 2024 earnings reported 11% growth in revenue (28% growth in Q4 revenue) and 37% growth in net income. Even better, the SmartTR system has just hit the sales floor and didn’t contribute meaningfully to 2024 earnings, however SmarTR did win a “Spotlight on New Technology Award” at the 2025 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas which should help grow sales. This is a growing, profitable company with cash (no debt), dividends, share buybacks, and a new product getting some attention… McCoy Global has everything most microcap investors are looking for.
Potential risks: SmarTR really is a company changing product, which comes with potentially huge shareholder returns if it succeeds, but could cause a share price decline if it fails. That’s really always the challenge with any new product. Unfortunately thanks to recent discussions of a global recession, McCoy also faces the challenges of selling their product into a depressed oil economy with oil prices down from $80 to $60 and that needs to be monitored. Despite all McCoy’s success, I expect investors are watching earnings diligently for any signs the macroeconomic headwinds are going to start affecting earnings.
NeurAxis, Inc. (NYSE: NRXS) neuraxis.com/
What they do: Healthcare (medical technology) a medical technology company, focuses on developing neuromodulation therapies to address chronic and debilitating conditions in children and adults in the United States.
Potential rewards: They have a healthcare product, and their last couple quarters have shown improvement. I will leave the “potential rewards” section to their CEO Brian Carrico show stated on their recent full year 2024 earnings:
Our strong performance in 4Q24 capped off a transformational year, as we significantly expanded insurance coverage for IB Stim, received a CPT Category I code for PENFS, nearly doubled our TAM for Pediatric FAB/IBS, and received 510(k) clearance for our RED device. These important accomplishments put us in an exceptional position to continue the outsized growth we have achieved in the last two quarters… and have set the stage for achieving cash flow breakeven.
Potential risks: A quick glance at earnings shows me a company with stagnant revenue, increasing net losses, and no significant inflection point in the foreseeable future. I expect they are looking for someone(s) to finance them, but I’m also open to a management group willing to prove me wrong.
NEXGEL, Inc. (NSDQCM: NXGL) nexgel.com/
What they do: Healthcare (medical instruments and supplies) a leading provider of healthcare, beauty, and over-the-counter (OTC) products including ultra-gentle, high-water-content hydrogels.
Potential rewards: The product is intriguing. One of the things I love about microcap stocks is finding so many companies with unique products and services to learn about, it’s really a great hobby (or profession) for curious minded people. Nexgel produces “hydrogel” which is a high-water content transdermal drug delivery system created for a broad range of uses from the beauty industry right up to hospital use cases, and any other custom idea that might be needed. I generally like this type of niche products with product market fit, which Nexgel is getting as the company revenue has increased from $1.5M in 2021 to $8.6M in 2024. Even more encouraging that this product is starting to get accepted by industry is their Q4 earnings, which reported $3.04M of revenue (a 180% increase over last years ~$1M) and was 35% of Nexgel’s entire 2024 revenue. Meaning Nexgel is getting both annual growth and potentially sequential quarter-over-quarter growth, highlighted by their guidance for 2025 of $13M revenue and “positive EBITDA”.
Potential risks: I intentionally held the worst for last, noting that the company expects to (hopefully) report positive EBITDA in 2025. Nexgel isn’t profitable yet. Nexgel’s 2024 net loss was $3.28 million, compared to $3.16 million in 2023, which doesn’t suggest they are trending in a direction I want to see. With $1.8M in cash (and I’m assuming still burning cash) and Nexgel is in a race against time, trying to increase revenue enough to “breakeven” before needing additional debt or financing. Overall good enough to get me curious to research a little deeper, and I’m looking forward to hearing their pitch.
Northstar Clean Technologies (TSXV: ROOF) www.northstarcleantech.com/
What they do: Industrials (waste management and clean tech) a Canadian clean technology company focused on the sustainable recovery and reprocessing of asphalt shingles.
Potential rewards: In case you haven’t already figured it out, I’m NOT a fan of “pre-revenue stocks”, companies that promise to make revenue some day, but haven’t yet. I consider most of these stocks to be lottery tickets with high odds against winning, and a surprisingly low payout when you do. So Northstar is fighting an uphill battle to get a good introduction from me… but they have succeeded. I like Northstar. Why?
The science used by Northstar isn’t rocket science, they use relatively simple procedures to break-down used asphalt shingles into reusable products (it should scale easily).
Shareholders don’t have to wait long. What drives me crazy about most pre-revenue stocks is most of the time revenue is always years away, and the company (usually shitco’s) always find excuses to delay that revenue. Northstar’s first commercial facility in Calgary will be done this summer, and by the end of 2025 we should have some meaningful earnings to review.
Should the Calgary facility prove to meet expectations (economically viable) then Northstar has plans to build more facilities quickly.
Assuming the Calgary facility meets expectations, Northstar Clean Technologies has a good, simple, scalable product, with good financial backers, first-mover advantage into a large market potential, and all at a reasonable share price. A lot to like here!
Potential risks: As always with stocks like Northstar, there are lots of risk. My greatest concern is not the “science doesn’t work” and the company fails entirely, I have done enough research where I don’t think this occurs. However, the economic viability of the operation is still in question. Are there unexpected construction costs or delays not being accounted for? Does asphalt prices stay extremely low and revenue is lower than expected? Does everything work as expected buy margins come in lower than expected? Lots of questions that may only be answered once that Calgary facility is operating at 80%+ capacity, but it’s always good to speak with management to discuss these concerns and give them a chance to calm my anxiety.
Nova Leap Health Corp. (TSXV: NLH) www.novaleaphealth.com
What they do: Healthcare (home health care) provides home and home health care services in the United States and Canada. Its services include dementia care, companionship, personal and skilled nursing care, respite care, cooking and meal preparation, bathing, dressing, grooming, housekeeping, errands, transportation, medication reminders, medication administration by nursing staff, and daily living activities.
Potential rewards: I gave NLH a long “what they do” section because this is a really “good” company. Their business plan is helping people, and their management and staff care about people. Even many of their shareholders are people who have used their services and were so thankful for Nova Leap’s people and services, that they wanted to invest in the company. I have spoken to their CEO Chris Dobbin numerous times, and Chris is not only a fantastic person, but also an excellent money manager that keeps NLH profitable in good times and bad. Unfortunately for NLH (as a home health care provider) Covid really kicked this company in the ass. Not only due to the increased costs during Covid, but also because Covid shut-down their entire growth strategy (acquiring/ consolidating the hundreds of “mom-and-pop” home health care providers in North America). Finally in 2024 Nova Leap Health is starting to show signs of getting back on track, and it’s worth looking at.
Potential risks: The two things that gives me anxiety about NLH is 1) their business is a “private-pay” model meaning it’s largely not gov’t funded and relies on people being able to afford care, and 2) their growth strategy does involve time, patience, and capital as finding and acquiring good health care companies for sale is a full-time job.
NowVertical (TSXV: NOW) www.nowvertical.com/
What they do: Technology (data analytics and AI) a global data and analytics company which helps clients transform data into tangible business value with AI, fast. Offering a comprehensive suite of solutions and services NowVertical enables clients to quickly harness the full potential of their data, driving measurable outcomes and accelerating potential return on investment.
Potential rewards: One of my most successful stocks of 2024. After many investors thought Now Vertical was potentially going bankrupt, I was commenting on the brilliant moves the CEO was making (and personally buying shares). Share price has rocketed up from $0.08 CAD to the $0.53 it trades at today, and now the question is… what’s next? Now Vertical was a “turnaround story” with high debt and declining revenue as they changed their business model. This worked, with their Q4-2024 just reporting a 94% year-over-year improvement to revenue ($10.9M) and 115% improvement to net income ($0.6M) and the question for management really becomes whether this growth is sustainable? As a growing (and now profitable) company, Now Vertical should turn some investors heads. If management can discuss expected future growth, then it should just be as easy as pulling out the calculator and figuring out what this company could be worth in the future.
Potential risks: Believe it or not, an increased share price brings more risk. When NOW was at $0.08 my only expectation of them was for a little growth (and don’t go bankrupt). Now that share price is at $0.53 for a $46M CAD market cap, the expectations start ramping up. Can the growth continue? At what rate? For how long? What about the remaining debt (much of the debt was refinanced at more favorable terms, but still existing)? Can Now Vertical Group live up to their expectations, or do they still have a drag on share price? Like a minor league player getting promoted to the big leagues, Now Vertical is going to be expected to deliver more, and face greater scrutiny, than they did in 2024.
NTG Clarity Networks Inc. (TSXV: NCI) ntgclarity.com/
What they do: Technology (digital transformation services) operates as a big data, analytics, and vertical intelligence company primarily in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Potential rewards: Profitable and growing company that’s stock is still “cheap” - that’s attractive! Disclaimer, NTG is a stock I first introduced at $0.15 and I am a shareholder, so fantastic gains for me personally, and maybe that has me a bit more bullish on NTG than I would be on a company brand new on my research list. However I also bought more NTG shares just a few days ago - why? NTG has been one of the most consistently growing companies in the world of microcaps. In Q4-2020 they reported $1.5M in revenue, and almost every quarter has been consistently up, with NTG expected to report a little over $15M revenue on their April 15th Q4-2024. What was holding share price back was that they still weren’t profitable, however in 2024 they started reporting consistently solid net income and share price has taken off. This growth and growing profitability expects to continue in 2025 as the company has released guidance of $75M revenue and 16-20% adjusted EBITDA margins.
Potential risks: So why are they still “cheap”? Roughly 95% of their revenue comes from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSI) and many investors won’t invest for that reason. The region has a checkered history of instability, and some “questionable” contracts (not necessarily with NTG) where work was done but the money never seems to hit the bottom line. I don’t think this can be ignored. However, everyone I have spoken to who has visited KSI has repeated the same “stable and growing economy” narrative that gives me confidence. And… let’s be honest - since January 20th it’s been the USA and Canada that have been the geopolitical danger zones of tariffs and recessions, not the KSI. NTG has zero tariff implications, and zero recession risk. So in a world turned upside down recently the KSI sure looks like the safest place in world to invest my money.
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Seriously, this is NOT financial advice.
I mean it. None of this is financial advice—I say it all the time, and I genuinely mean it. I don’t know you. I don’t know your experience level, risk tolerance, debt situation, or anything else about your financial position. So please, don’t buy, sell, or hold a stock just because of my opinion in this article.
I’ve been wrong plenty of times, and I strongly encourage everyone to invest within their own capabilities and consult a financial advisor if needed.
Thank you! 🙏
