The Water Tower Hour

Send us a textThe passage of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, signed into law on July 18, 2025, represents a landmark moment for cryptocurrency regulation in the United States. Hear from leaders in crypto like Galaxy Digital and BTCS, and miners like Greenidge, BitFuFu, and Soluna on the near term and long term impacts of the US legislation.

Send us a textIn this special Flashcast episode of the WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, host Tim Gerdeman sits down with Dr. John Roy to explore the explosive trend of companies raising significant capital specifically to invest in cryptocurrency—a hot topic recently featured in the Wall Street Journal. They dive into the staggering scale of this trend, with nearly 100 companies announcing plans to raise over $43 billion for crypto purchases since June alone. John explains how the GENIUS Act has paved the way for greater corporate crypto adoption, especially around stablecoins, and outlines potential risks, including crypto's inherent volatility. The discussion highlights key players such as Capital Group and Galaxy Digital, who are leading this bold move into the crypto space.Tune in for expert insights into what's fueling this surge—and whether it's sustainable. 

Send us a textIn this episode of our WTR Small Cap Spotlight, we sat down with LifeVantage (NASDAQ: LFVN ) CEO Steve Fife and CMO Julie Boyster to drill down on the science of nutrigenomics, which is the study of how nutrients impact our genes, and how LifeVantage's proprietary formulations of naturally found ingredients work together to activate genes and help improve overall health and wellbeing.  Recent clinical studies further demonstrate the efficacy of the company's new patent-pending MindBody GLP-1 System, and the company discusses additional synergistic benefits from combining MindBody with the company's flagship Nrf2 Synergizer.   

Send us a textIn this special edition of the WTR Small-Cap Spotlight Flashcast, host Tim Gerdeman sits down with Chris Degner, Managing Director in Water Tower Research's Energy Practice, to explore major shifts in the oil and natural gas markets. The discussion covers rising OPEC production, evolving global supply structures, and a deep dive into LNG market trends—including emerging export projects in the U.S. and Australia. The episode also spotlights Tamboran Resources, a small-cap company with high-potential natural gas assets in Australia. Tune in for expert insights on where the energy markets are headed and what it means for small-cap investors. 

Send us a textIn this 2nd episode or our two-part WTR Symposium Series podcast, "NEXT-GEN VEHICLES: Investing in Small Drones and Unmanned Vehicles", senior management of Arrive AI (ARAI), Nauticus Robotics (KITT), Ocean Power Technologies (OPTT), and Palladyne AI (PDYN) join the Water Tower Research team including Founding Partner and CEO, Shawn Severson, Managing Director - Energy Transition and Sustainable Investing, Peter Gastreich, and Managing Director - Technology, Dr. John Roy. These companies are high-growth and with innovative unmanned vehicle solutions focused on improving efficiency and safety for industries as diverse as offshore oil & gas, subsea mining, offshore wind energy, pipelines, defense, surface logistics, and CO2 sequestration.

Send us a textIn our latest WTR-Small-Cap Spotlight podcast, we were joined by Jack Lu,  Director of corporate Development at Ainos (NASDAQ: AIMD) to discuss the company's pioneering smell digitization AI technology platform, AI Nose; diversification of the platform's penetration across multiple verticals through strategic partnerships;  commercialization opportunities and expansion goals.

Send us a textIn this episode of WTR Small-Cap x Healthcare Spotlight crossover episode, we are joined by Lisata Therapeutics' (NASDAQ: LSTA) CEO David Mazzo, PhD and Chief Medical Officer Kristen Buck, MD to talk about, Certepetide, the company's novel solid tumor targeting and penetration technology with tumor microenvironment modifying properties.  We also dive into the recently reported positive preliminary results from Lisata's lead program (Ascend), a Phase 2b study investigating Certepetide for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (the most common and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer), Lisata's partnerships, and upcoming milestones.  

Send us a textIn this two-part WTR Symposium Series podcast, "NEXT-GEN VEHICLES: Investing in Small Drones and Unmanned Vehicles", management of Micropolis Holding Company (MCRP), Ondas Holdings Inc. (ONDS), SES AI Corp, (SES) and Unusual Machines, Inc. (UMAC) join the Water Tower Research team including Founding Partner and CEO, Shawn Severson and Managing Director - Technology, Dr. John Roy. Drones are everywhere and stocks are moving up. Hear what 4 CEOs in the drone industry are saying about investing, consolidation, and the need for standards. Stay tuned next week for part-two with WTR's Peter Gastreich!

Send us a textIn our latest WTR Small-Cap Spotlight x Healthcare Crossover, Cybin CEO Doug Drysdale joins Water Tower Research's Tim Gerdeman and Senior Analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss the company's non-traditional financing strategy as it continues to advance its development pipeline. Drysdale also probes into data that highlight advantages that distinguish Cybin's lead program CYB003 from other aspiring late-stage novel therapies in the depression treatment landscape  Cybin (NYSE: CYBN) is a late-stage clinical development company focused on developing novel psychedelic-based neuropsychiatric compounds. Its two lead candidates, targeting two of the most pervasive mental health disorders, are psilocin-based CYB003 for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), currently being dosed in a Phase 3 program, and DMT-based CYB004 for General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) which is wrapping up a Phase 2 study.  

Send us a textOn this week's episode of the WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Nir Brenmiller, Chief Operating Officer, Co-Founder and Director at Brenmiller Energy (NASDAQ ticker BNRG), joined Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Water Tower Research, and Peter Gastreich, Energy and Sustainable Investing Analyst at Water Tower Research to discuss: 1) the company's innovative heat storage technology that bridges the intermittency of renewable energy generation and provides clean energy in the form of steam to industrial and other customers; 2) the multi-trillion dollar market opportunity for decarbonization of heat and electrification of heat; 3) what makes the technology competitive and lower cost when compared to traditional boilers and natural gas; 4) the company's “heat as a service” business model targeting leading corporations looking to decarbonize; and 5) the first flagship operations starting by the end of this year plus a $500 million pipeline.

Send us a textIn Part 2 of our WTR Small-Cap Spotlight Executive Series with SurgePays (NASDAQ: SURG), we continue our conversation with President Derron Winfrey—shifting focus from the company's mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) platform to its flagship mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business, LinkUp Mobile. This episode explores how SurgePays is expanding affordable wireless access through its prepaid service model and what sets LinkUp apart in a competitive market.  

Send us a textIn this episode of the WTR Small-Cap | Biotech Spotlight Crossover, Water Tower Research's Tim Gerdeman is joined by Dr. Chris Witowski, CEO of Psilera, and WTR Senior Analyst Robert Sassoon for an insightful discussion on the company's pioneering work in neuroplastogen drug development and delivery technologies.Dr. Chris  Witowski, CEO and Co-Founder of Psilera, an early-stage biotech company focused on developing next-generation neuroplastegens for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, shares his thoughts and insights on the evolution of biomarkers in the neurosciences, the latest developments and trends in CNS-focused biomarkers and the potentially transformative impact they will have on the CNS treatment landscape.Tune in to learn more about Psilera's vision for the future of neurotherapeutics and how the company is working to transform the treatment landscape for CNS disorders.

Send us a textIn this WTR Symposium Series podcast, " CATCH THE WAVE: Investing in Water Treatment and Solutions ", management of Arq, Inc. (ARQ), California Water Service (CWT), National Energy Services Reunited (NESR), and Select Water Solutions (WTTR) join the Water Tower Research team including Shawn Severson, CEO and Co-founder, Jeff Robertson, Managing Director – Natural Resources, and Peter Gastreich, Senior Energy and Sustainable Investing Analyst to discuss growth strategies. The participating companies are delivering key water treatment technologies, water management solutions, and long-term infrastructure services for customers in energy, utilities, specialty materials and other industries.  

Send us a textOn this week's episode of the WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Mihir Dange, CEO of XCF Global and Simon Oxley, CFO of XCF Global, joined Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Water Tower Research, and Peter Gastreich, Energy and Sustainability Analyst at Water Tower Research to discuss: 1) XCF Global as the first publicly listed pure-play sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer in the US; 2) how decarbonizing the global aviation industry will lead to 100x demand growth for SAF; 3) status of the company's existing SAF plant in operation since Feb 2025 and XCF's large pipeline of new SAF projects; 4) the unique advantages of the feedstock and offtake agreements and partnership with Phillips66; and 5) the modular approach to expansion and focus on private capital financing rather than government loans.

Send us a textOn this week's episode of the WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Roshan Pujari, Executive Chairman and CEO of Stardust Power joined Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Water Tower Research, and Peter Gastreich, Energy and Sustainability Analyst at Water Tower Research to discuss: 1) the critical need for developing domestic lithium refining capacity in the US, a market which is dominated by imports; 2) plans to build one of the largest battery-grade lithium refineries in the US and strategic advantages of locating in Oklahoma; 3) progress on offtake agreements including 80-100% of phase 1 supply in a non-binding agreement with Sumitomo Corp; 4) Stardust Power's upstream integration strategy and the abundance of lithium reserves and brine assets linked to the oil and gas industry in the US; and 5) the company's financing and capital strategy.  

Send us a textEnlivex Therapeutics CEO Oren Hershkovitz, PhD joins us on another WTR Small-Cap x Biotech Spotlight crossover episode to talk about how the company's cell therapy, Allocetra, reprograms macrophages to treat inflammatory diseases. We dive into the recent Phase 1 data in knee osteoarthritis and what to expect from the randomized Phase 2 readout later this year, as well as the market opportunity. Listen to learn more about Enlivex Therapeutics and its off-the-shelf cell therapy platform. 

Send us a textOn this week's WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, we speak with Apimeds CEO Erik Emerson about the newly NYSE listed company and the development of Apitox, a purified honeybee venom, for knee osteoarthritis and multiple sclerosis. We discuss the therapeutic properties of bee venom and the clinical/regulatory plans to bring Apitox to the US market. Listen to learn more about Apimeds and its novel approach to treat inflammatory pain.

Send us a textOn our latest episode of Small-Cap Spotlight, WTR Co-Founder Tim Gerdeman, sits down with Jason Paltrowitz, EVP of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group, to break down the upcoming launch of OTCID and what it means for the future of small-cap investing. 

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Small-Cap Spotlight, WTR's Tim Gerdeman and Dmitry Silversteyn sit down with Howard Klein, Founder of RK Equity. With low metal prices all but precluding equity-based capital, miners and developers are looking to strategics and governments for funding to bridge the gap to the next upcycle.

Send us a textJindalee Lithium's CEO Ian Rodger discusses the company's McDermitt lithium resource in the context of developing a robust domestic critical metals ecosystem and provides an outline of milestones and deliverables stakeholders can look forward to as JLL  moves the project up the value chain. 

Send us a textSURG is excited about the opportunity to offer backend support, access to carrier network, and potentially, even outsourced customer care to virtual MVNOs that may have large subscriber bases, but don't have a direct relationship with a carrier. This Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) market has opened up to SURG primarily because of its recent direct partnership with AT&T. 

Send us a textIn our latest Small-Cap Spotlight flashcast, Jeff Robertson, Managing Director of Natural Resources at WTR breaks down his recent initiation of coverage report on Journey Energy Inc.

Send us a textTune in to the latest Small-Cap Spotlight Flashcast! Join Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at WTR, and Peter Gastreich, Senior Energy Transition and Sustainability Analyst, as they discuss Neste Corp. Neste produces renewable fuels on three continents and operates the world's largest renewable fuels platform. Learn how Neste's global footprint and feedstock sourcing serve as competitive advantages and how management are responding to the currently oversupplied renewable fuels markets, cutting costs and repositioning for structural long-term growth opportunities. Policy implications for the US and EU are also discussed. 

Send us a textWe are joined by Al Petrie, Senior Partner at Al Petrie Advisors, and Jeff Robertson, Managing Director of Natural Resources at Water Tower Research to discuss the upcoming Louisiana Energy Conference. The conference will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana from May 27- 29, 2025. Water Tower Research is pleased to be a sponsor of the event which has been held annually for 25 years. The conference will include approximately 36 presentations, panels, and discussions led by representatives from more than 80 organizations that will address key domestic and international oil, natural gas, renewable, and clean energy developments and topics. The agenda includes a wide array of topics covering the offshore and onshore domestic and international oil and gas industry, financing issues, energy transition, and the impact emerging technologies could have on the way companies operate. Attendance is directed to investment professionals, including buy- and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers, private equity, and wealth management executives and trust officers along with energy industry participants. The full agenda and registration information can be found at the following link, LEC 2025

Send us a textThis week we caught up with Hylton Karon, President and CEO of iFabric, to discuss the company's recent strong results and continued outlook for double-digit top line growth.  Founded by Hylton in 1985, the Canadian textile company eschews fashion for performance.  iFabric today offers textile products and technologies that cover a wide range of consumer markets such as athleisure, lifestyle, swimwear, healthcare, hospitality and military applications.  Hylton also explains that while the company today is known as Intelligent Fabrics, it will soon be known as Intelligent Technologies as it begins to offer solutions for hard surfaces as well.  

Send us a textWater Tower Research Senior Analyst Dmitry Silversteyn discusses the deep-sea mining sector, specifically polymetallic nodules, including environmental and social aspects, role in enabling the energy transformation megatrend, and the ability to accelerate American self-reliance when it comes to critical metals. 

Send us a textOdyssey Marine Exploration's CEO Mark Gordon discusses company's prospects and opportunities post-NAFTA court decision, including potential development of phosphate resource off the coast of Mexico and progress portfolio companies are making in Cook Islands' polymetallic nodule-rich EEZ.

Send us a textOn this week's episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Richard MacPherson, President and CEO of Birchtech Corporation, joined Shawn Severson, CEO & Co-Founder of Water Tower Research, and Peter Gastreich, WTR Energy and Sustainability Analyst to discuss Birchtech's: 1) proprietary technology and specialty activated carbon products; 2) sustainable and affordable approaches for mercury emission control and potable water treatment; 3) significant growth opportunities and strategic expansion into the water purification market; 4) world class R&D facilities; 5) benefits of having 100% domestic sourcing; and 7) significant outstanding financial awards from patent infringement litigation in federal court.

Send us a textSES AI CEO Qichao Hu sits down with Water Tower Research's Tim Gerdeman and Brian Gordon to discuss the vision for the firm's Molecular Universe AI-augmented battery materials discovery platform and the way that AI, more generally, is powering the firm's business model. Hu also provides an update on SES AI's progress in EVs, new products targeting drones, robotics, and urban air mobility, and the scale of the market opportunity for battery energy storage systems for data centers.

Send us a textJoe Lowry and Dmitry Silversteyn discuss the current state of the lithium industry, including lithium mining and processing companies and regions, and EV battery technology evolution's impact on lithium demand, as well as the role of geopolitical considerations when it comes to lithium production, technology and market dynamics. 

Send us a textIn this WTR Symposium Series podcast, "FIRST MOVERS in Ethanol Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)", managment of Gevo, Inc, (GEVO) and Rex American Resources (REX) join Shawn Severson, WTR CEO and Co-founder, and Peter Gastreich, WTR Senior Energy and Sustainability Analyst to discuss how low carbon ethanol, CCS, and SAF tie into the companies strategies and growth outlooks. The management of these companies are leading the way with their low-carbon strategies, growing operations and generating investment returns by helping industries, including aviation, meet their decarbonization objectives. At the same time, the companies are contributing to US energy abundance and playing a key role in supporting farmers, rural communities and the US agricultural economy. 

Send us a textIn our latest FlashCast, Tim Gerdeman, Founder, Vice-Chairman, and Chief Marketing Officer discusses FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE) and its growth potential with WTR technology analyst Dr. John Roy and FiscalNote CEO and President Josh Resnik.

Send us a textTune in to the latest Small-Cap Spotlight Flashcast! Join Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at WTR, and Peter Gastreich, Senior Energy Transition and Sustainability Analyst, as they discuss Green Plains. Learn how the company plans to profit from CO2 waste streams with its Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) operations staring up in 2H25. The outlooks for low-carbon ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) are also discussed including implications from Trump administration policies. 

Send us a textDmitry Silversteyn offers his take on Administration's actions to increase domestic minerals production in the effort to decouple from China-dominated supply chain, its impact on mining and processing companies' prospects, and how investors can take advantage of the potential rebalancing of the critical minerals supply chain.

Send us a textOn this week's episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Marcus Laun, Co-Founder and VP Executive of Sky Quarry joined Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Water Tower Research, and Peter Gastreich, Energy and Sustainability Analyst at Water Tower Research to discuss: 1) SKYQ's business of recycling asphalt shingle waste into oil products and other materials, and with zero waste; 2) SKYQ's innovative revenue model and offering waste shingle suppliers a lower cost alternative to landfills; 3) planned commissioning of the first 1.0 million ton per year capacity facility in Utah this year; 4) national expansion strategy; 5) expectations for decreasing regulation and streamlined permitting process; and 6) crowd funding as a source of financing.  

Send us a textOn this week's episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, George O'Leary, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sono Group (OTCQB: SEVCF), joined Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Water Tower Research, and Peter Gastreich, Energy and Sustainability Analyst at Water Tower Research to discuss: 1) how Sono's proprietary solar integration technology for commercial vehicles can bridge the gap between today's conventional vehicles and the future EV market; 2) Sono's German roots and strategy to leverage local partnerships to grow in North and South America; 3) capital strategy and path to NASDAQ uplisting in the near-term; 4) Sono's competitive advantages; 5) customer engagement strategy and other topics.

Send us a textDmitry Silversteyn provides his impressions of the 2025 PDAC conference in Toronto and highlights some of the hot topics attendees were discussing at this three-day event. 

Send us a textIn our latest episode, Tim Gerdeman, Founder, Vice-Chairman, and Chief Marketing Officer discusses Palladyne AI (NASDAQ: PDYN) and its growth potential with WTR technology analyst Dr. John Roy and Palladyne AI co-founder, President and CEO Ben Wolff.Palladyne AI sells real-time learning and reasoning AI software platforms for robots, drones, and smart industrial systems. The company engages in the design, development, and manufacture of industrial robotic systems that augment human performance by combining human intelligence, instinct, and judgment with the strength, endurance, and precision of machines to enhance employee safety and productivity. Its mobile robotic systems include the Guardian S, Guardian GT, Guardian XO, and Guardian XT. The company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT.

Send us a textCEO Mitch Steiner joins us on this week's collaboration with WTR Biotech Spotlight to talk about the next generation of drugs focusing on lean mass (muscle) preservation for obesity patients on the popular GLP-1 therapies. He reviews the recent enobosarm Phase 2b data and highlights the importance of functional clinical benefit in addition to maintaining lean mass. Listen to learn more about Veru and its obesity drug enobosarm.

Send us a textPerfect Corp. offers brands in the beauty industry the ability to offer an omnichannel experience to their customers, and for consumers to virtually try on products before making the purchases. The company recently acquired Wannaby to expand into the personal luxury vertical, which has expanded their targetable opportunity. In our conversation, we discussed how the company is positioning to reaccelerate top line growth, which we think, in turn, should lead to higher multiples.

Send us a textJoin Shawn Severson, Co-Founder and CEO at WTR, and Peter Gastreich, Senior Energy Transition and Sustainability Analyst, as they discuss how carbon capture and storage (CCS) can enable a big growth opportunity for low carbon ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the US.  We quantify the growth potential and importance to the rural economy, detail what makes ethanol a low-cost candidate for CCS, explain why President Trump's "National Energy Emergency" executive order and appointments look supportive, and review eight listed companies with CCS, SAF and low carbon ethanol projects. For more, see our new WTR report "What Carbon Capture & Storage Could Mean for US Ethanol-Based Biofuels".

Send us a textIn our latest episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman, and Chief Marketing Officer and WTR's Senior Research Analyst, Brian Gordon, discuss Brian's top industry trends for 2025.

Send us a textWe are launching a WTR Spotlight podcast focused on biotech companies and industry. Listen to Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Water Tower Research, and Do Kim, Senior Research Analyst, discuss what to expect and who will be joining us in future episodes. 

Send us a textTune in to the latest Small-Cap Spotlight Flashcast! Join Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair & Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at WTR, and Peter Gastreich, Senior Energy Transition and Sustainability Analyst, as they discuss Arq, Inc. Learn about Arq's low-cost transformation into a high-growth environmental tech company and management's strategy to capture large and growing opportunities to remediate environmental liabilities like PFAS, or "forever chemicals" in public drinking water systems. 

Send us a textIn our latest FlashCast, Tim Gerdeman, Founder, Vice-Chairman, and Chief Marketing Officer discusses BitFuFu (NASDAQ: FUFU) and its growth potential with WTR technology analyst Dr. John Roy and BitFuFu Vice President, Investor Relations, Charley Brady.BitFuFu Inc. engages in providing digital asset mining and cloud-mining services. The firm fosters a secure, compliant, and transparent blockchain infrastructure, providing a variety of stable and intelligent digital asset mining solutions to a global customer base. It leverages a global mining facility network and strategic partnership with Bitmain, which enables institutional customers and digital asset enthusiasts to mine digital assets. The company was founded by Leo Lu in December 2020 and is headquartered in Singapore.

Send us a textOn this week's episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO at Gevo, and Lindsay Fitzgerald, EVP, Corporate Affairs, joined Peter Gastreich, Energy and Sustainability Analyst at Water Tower Research to discuss: 1) why the latest DC policy guidelines are a win for farmers, biofuel producers, the public and the environment, and a milestone for market-based ag conservation; 2) the importance of homegrown US energy and the economic benefits to the rural economy; 3) evidence of strong bipartisan support for biofuels in DC and support for CCS by key figures in the Trump administration; 4) Red Trail Acquisition close being very near and DOE Loan on track; and other key updates. 

Send us a textWTR Consumer Products analyst Doug Lane shares his thoughts on some common themes at last week's ICR conference in Orlando 

Send us a textLifeVantage's CEO Steve Fife and CMO Julie Boyster join us to discuss the recent successful launch of its MindBody GLP-1 System, and how they envision the brand as potentially being even bigger than its flagship Protandim Nrf2 Synergizer.

Send us a textIn our latest episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman, and Chief Marketing Officer and WTR's Managing Director of Natural Resources, Jeff Robertson, discuss Jeff's top industry trends for 2025.

Send us a textIn our latest episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman, and Chief Marketing Officer and WTR's Senior Research Analyst, Dmitry Silversteyn, discuss Dmitry's top industry trends for 2025.

Send us a textIn our latest episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman, and Chief Marketing Officer and WTR's Senior Research Analyst, Robert Sassoon, discuss Roberts's top Psychedelic trends for 2025.