Day Two of Summer 2026 Virtual Conference shifted toward investor pitches and idea sharing. Gurkirat Singh, Aurelion Research, Multibagger Mike, Ben Brostoff, Lee Roach each presented an investment idea. We carried one final investor pitch into Friday morning. After hearing this company present during the conference, I wanted additional time to revisit the notes, continue the research and develop the investment case further before sharing it.
ICYMI: Reports on two defense stocks we added to our Model Portfolio Universe – one benefiting from rising missile production, and the other experiencing growth catalysts for the first time in a while. The latter’s real estate value on the balance sheet is materially undervalued by a factor of ~4x.
In other news, early research indicates that new products have given this company a “moatish” investment angle. We are starting to get increasingly excited. The company will likely be added to our Model Portfolio Universe.
A US policy shock, a long-running national-security concern about drug supply, finally crystallized into tariffs, is pushing pharmaceutical manufacturing back onto American soil. The result is a domestic capital-expenditure wave estimated at roughly $370–480 billion of announced commitments through 2030. The durable money in this theme does not sit with the drugmakers, for whom reshoring is a cost, but with the “picks and shovels”: the engineering, process-equipment, and consumables suppliers who design, build, and outfit the new plants. Also this week, we sat down again with $FRTU President Yoel Damas to address Geoinvesting subscriber questions about funding capacity, automation, the audit process, and the company’s capital structure. The conversation focused on whether the company can convert growing demand without taking on unfavorable financing.
We launched a new Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) screen with its first three additions. The screen highlights companies positioned to benefit from growing demand for grid-scale energy storage and related infrastructure. Additional rationale and supporting commentary will be provided during the August Open Forum.
Battery Energy Storage Systems are becoming an increasingly important part of the power grid. They store electricity when supply is abundant or prices are low, then release it when demand rises, renewable generation falls, or the grid needs additional support. As electricity demand increases from data centers, electrification, and domestic manufacturing, storage can help utilities manage volatility without relying entirely on new generation capacity.
Please note that this week we held our July Open Forum, where we discussed developments across our coverage universe during the month of June. Part of the discussion focused on a new and potentially very exciting idea discovery.
During the Planet MicroCap Conference in Las Vegas, I pitched $SIF. This is very much a classic “boring but interesting” turnaround idea in the aerospace forging space. SIFCO is a 113-year-old aerospace supplier with established certifications, long-standing customer relationships, and a solid competitive position in both commercial and defense aerospace markets, but one that spent more than a decade in operational decline before recently starting to inflect. In this week’s Skull Session with Hugo Navarro, we discussed how he will balance his new career advising a hedge fund while continuing to write deep-dive research reports on his Substack, as well as four of his favorite investment pitches.
We opened this Skull Session by catching up with Hugo Navarro (@HugoNavarroPer2) after meeting him in person at Planet MicroCap Las Vegas. Hugo discussed his move into advising a fund in Spain while continuing to publish on Substack, where he focuses on undercovered small-cap ideas.
Hugo described his approach as both bottom-up and top-down, with a focus on cheap companies that often trade below five times free cash flow and still have growth optionality. He also explained how sharing research online helped him build relationships with fund managers, gain access to management teams, and eventually move into fund advising.
Every year, microcap conferences introduce investors to dozens of promising companies. Yet, once the conference ends, there is rarely a structured way to measure which investment ideas actually performed the best.
The 2026 Microcap Stock Picking Contest will help track which investment ideas actually outperform and discover some great investors.
The contest gives investors an opportunity to test their stock-picking skills over a defined period while adding a little friendly competition to the microcap investing community. Top performers earn recognition for consistently identifying winning ideas.
The 2026 contest series features more than $15,000 in total cash prizes and bonuses across three separate competitions. Contest 1, focused on Planet MicroCap Las Vegas 2026, is now accepting submissions and offers a $5,000 prize pool + bonus prizes.