On September 7, 2023, Ridgewood Investments Portfolio Manager Sam Namiri joined me for an Investor Insights Skull Session, where we delved deep into the realm of microcap investing, shedding light on Sam’s personal journey and the intricacies of his investment approach. We discussed the significance of networks and conferences in sourcing investment opportunities, highlighting the value of trade shows as fertile grounds for gaining insights.

It’s fitting that as we cross the threshold to the 100th Weekly GeoWire edition, that we also crossover to a Monthly Open Forum format that we feel will bring more value to you. It basically revolves around honing in on the most important coverage of the prior month to get you up to speed on subject matter that we put the most time and effort into.

This doesn’t, however, mean that we are abandoning some of the staples of the forum, such as earnings coverage – it just means those stapes will be much more pointed. For example, of the 3 dozen earnings releases we highlighted in August, we spotlighted 10 of those in this past week’s event.

GeoInvesting’s Skull Sessions continue with Investor Insights featuring Paul Tschischik (Investmentideen at Twitter), a part time special situations investor/financial analyst. Paul is a former Constellation Software employee, a Joel Greenblatt Connoisseur, financial analyst, and contributor at the Investmentideas Substack, Value In Special Situations, for “Investors who want to invest against the crowd.” In the full video replay of the event, he and Maj Soueidan delve into investment strategies, exploring where they intersect. Paul highlights the importance of, Grasping a business’s operations, Properly valuing stock, Understanding catalysts for growth, and the role these catalysts play in unlocking shareholder value, Expansion in valuation multiple, Effective capital allocation and share buyback program, and Dividends and EPS growth.

Last week, had a Skull Session/Investor Insights session with Tim Heitman, an investor of over 40 years who transitioned from investing in larger companies to focusing on micro and nano caps. His pivot was driven by the greater potential for alpha generation due to market inefficiencies and fewer analysts covering these stocks.

Among the many things we discussed, we tackled analytical approaches to investing in smaller companies and the challenges and opportunities presented by the OTC market. We also discussed the importance of qualitative analysis, management change, and the need for adaptable strategies in this space.

This past  week, I engaged in a Skull Session Management Briefing with Jan Loeb, the CEO and President of Acorn Energy Inc (OOTC:ACFN), covering the company’s second-quarter results, growth strategies, and growth initiatives.

Acorn Energy manufactures remote monitoring products, focusing on industries like commercial, industrial, and residential power generation and corrosion protection. They faced a growth slowdown in 2022 due to the sunsetting of 3G technology, which led to a reduction in connections and revenue. However, they rebounded with a renewed focus on LTE technology and are now aiming for 20% annual cash basis revenue growth.