WTR Small-Cap Spotlight

Water Tower Research
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Investing
  • Weekly

 WTR Small-Cap Spotlight is Water Tower Research's weekly podcast covering small-cap and micro-cap equities. Each episode features exclusive CEO interviews, analyst deep-dives, and actionable stock ideas across sectors including biotech, energy, technology, and industrials. Hosted by Tim Gerdeman, WTR Vice Chair & Co-Founder, the show gives investors direct access to the management teams and analysts behind under-the-radar opportunities. New episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms. 

  1. 1d ago

    PodcastOne (PODC): The Strategic Review, Podcast M&A, and the AI Content Opportunity

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the WTR Small Cap Spotlight podcast, Rob Ellin, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of LiveOne, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVO) and Executive Chairman of PodcastOne (Nasdaq: PODC), returns to join WTR Analyst Eric Goldstein and host Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder of Water Tower Research. The conversation centers on recent developments at PodcastOne, including an activist shareholder letter calling for a strategic review, inbound interest from multiple strategic parties, and the board’s formation of an independent special committee to evaluate a possible sale, partnership, or other transaction. Rob Ellin places those steps within a broader wave of media consolidation, explains why streaming platforms, big tech, and AI companies are competing for talking heads and premium content, and contrasts recent podcast deal multiples with where PodcastOne trades today. PodcastOne, majority owned by LiveOne, ranks among the top podcast publishers in the US with more than 200 podcasters, and recently reported record revenue of roughly $31 million and about $3 million of EBITDA for the six-month period. Rob Ellin also discusses the AI licensing opportunity built on approximately 500,000 hours of audio and 250,000 hours of video from its top shows, with talent agreements already in place, and why the company’s talent-first, superfan-focused model is difficult to replicate. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com.

  2. 3d ago

    Beyond GLP-1s: The Expanding Frontier of Peptide Therapeutics

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Small-Cap Spotlight podcast, WTR Healthcare Analyst Robert Sassoon joins host Tim Gerdeman to discuss his newly published industry report, Primer: Peptides- From GLP-1 Success to the Next Wave of Therapeutics. The conversation explores the factors driving the rapid growth of peptide therapeutics, from the success of GLP-1 drugs and the emergence of next-generation obesity treatments to expanding applications across oncology, immunology, cardiovascular disease and other therapeutic areas. They examine the growing competitive landscape, including the entry of large pharmaceutical companies and Chinese developers, the emergence of oral peptides and macrocycles, and the role of AI-enabled drug discovery in accelerating peptide development. The discussion also considers the investment opportunities across the sector, what will differentiate the next generation of winners, and the key clinical, commercial and manufacturing challenges that investors should watch as the peptide market continues to evolve. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com.

  3. Oct 29

    XCF Global (SAFX): Chairman & CEO on the Merger Approval, the Reno Ramp, and the Growth Roadmap

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the WTR Small Cap Spotlight podcast, Chris Cooper, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of XCF Global, Inc. (Nasdaq: SAFX), joins WTR’s Peter Gastreich, Managing Director of Energy Transition and Sustainable Investing, and host Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder of Water Tower Research. Following approval of XCF’s three-way combination with Southern Energy Renewables and DevvStream, Chris Cooper discusses New Rise Reno’s move into commercial operations and the path to SAF, the strategic logic of the deal, and how DevvStream enhances capture of environmental attribute value. The conversation also covers Southern Energy’s e-methanol and methanol-to-jet technology and the marine fuels opportunity, the amended deal terms, and growth priorities across Reno 2, new domestic sites, and global licensing. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com.

  4. Oct 28

    The 2026 Midterms: Why This Is a Coverage Election for Healthcare Investors

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Tommy Barletta, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of ALDIS Institutional Services, joins host Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder of Water Tower Research, to discuss what next week’s midterm elections could mean for healthcare investors. ALDIS Institutional Services is an independent research provider that pairs policy expertise with Washington and Wall Street relationships, combining moderated small group events with market commentary on policy-driven catalysts. Tommy Barletta walks through his scenario analysis for the House and Senate, why he sees the House as effectively settled and the Senate as a far wider range of outcomes, and which races he is watching most closely. He explains why affordability has made this a coverage election, and how that read-through differs across hospitals, exchange-leveraged insurers, Medicare Advantage, and pharma, including the operational quarters the market may have to absorb before any policy relief arrives. The conversation also covers what the administration can do regardless of the outcome through the levers it already controls, where the Medicare for All conversation actually stands and why the distinction between universal coverage and universal care matters for managed care, and the near-term catalysts Tommy Barletta is tracking in Washington, from government funding and the debt limit to US and China biotech relations. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com.

  5. Oct 22

    Xali Gold (XGC): Reviving Pico Machay and Unlocking a New Gold Development Opportunity

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the WTR Small Cap Spotlight podcast, Joanne Freeze, President and CEO of Xali Gold Corp. (TSXV: XGC, OTC: XGDF), joins WTR Analyst Dmitry Silversteyn and host Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder of Water Tower Research, to discuss the company’s flagship Pico Machay gold project in Peru, its historical resource of more than 700,000 ounces, and the opportunity to revisit a project previously considered economic at US$700/oz gold.  The conversation explores plans to validate and expand the resource, update project economics, advance permitting and community engagement, and pursue alternative financing strategies. Freeze also outlines upcoming drilling and development milestones and what could differentiate Xali Gold from other junior gold developers.  Joanne Freeze also addresses permitting and community engagement in Peru, financing strategies beyond equity including debt, streaming, and offtake agreements, and the drilling and development milestones ahead over the next 12 to 18 months. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com.

  6. Oct 21

    FatPipe (FATN): One Call, That’s Al"l: How a Small SD-WAN Vendor Beats the "Big Boys"

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the WTR Small Cap Spotlight podcast, Dr. Ragula Bhaskar, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of FatPipe, Inc. (Nasdaq: FATN), joins WTR Analyst James Kisner and host Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder of Water Tower Research. FatPipe sells routers, firewalls, SD-WAN, cybersecurity, and network visibility as a single software stack, with a co-managed service aimed at SMB customers that cannot afford a large IT staff. Dr. Ragula Bhaskar explains how the company wins against Cisco, HPE, and Arista on product and first-party support, summed up as “one call, that’s all,” what new channel partners Carahsoft and Howard Technology Solutions expect from a vendor, and why the $7 million education contract is pulling partners toward larger deals as the sales team grows. He also covers the shift to monthly recurring billings, where Total Security 360 stands as customers’ existing security contracts come up for renewal, early demand for SATBoost as satellite becomes a cheaper backup link, and the first sales of Constellation, including a data center version and a dedicated data center team planned for the first quarter. The conversation closes with the targets Dr. Ragula Bhaskar uses to run the business: 18% growth and 18% adjusted EBITDA margins. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com.

  7. Oct 16

    eXoZymes (EXOZ): Can Cell-Free Biomanufacturing Deliver at Commercial Scale?

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Robert Sassoon, Managing Director and healthcare analyst at Water Tower Research, joins host Tim Gerdeman to discuss his newly published initiation of coverage on eXoZymes (Nasdaq: EXOZ) and its cell-free biomanufacturing platform. Robert Sassoon explains how the technology works, the significance of the reported 10-fold productivity improvement in NCT manufacturing, and the next steps toward validating commercial-scale production with CDMO partner Curia Global. The conversation also covers NCT’s potential in the nutraceutical market, the competitive landscape, and the longer-term opportunity to develop novel molecules for pharmaceutical applications through the BioClick platform. With an NCT product launch targeted for the first half of 2027, Robert Sassoon lays out the commercial, manufacturing, and regulatory milestones investors should watch as eXoZymes moves from pilot-scale validation to commercial execution. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com and for access to the Fireside Chat: https://event.webcasts.com/viewer/event.jsp?ei=1779409&tp_key=f8a1f046f8

  8. Oct 14

    ClearSign Technologies (CLIR): The CTO and VP of Burners - Inside the Engineering Platform Built to Scale

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the WTR Small Cap Spotlight podcast, Matt Martin, Chief Technology Officer, and Jeff Lewallen, Vice President of Burners at ClearSign Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: CLIR), join WTR’s Peter Gastreich, Managing Director of Energy Transition and Sustainable Investing, and host Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Water Tower Research. Matt Martin and Jeff Lewallen take investors under the hood of the engineering platform driving ClearSign’s growth. The conversation covers how predictive CFD modeling keeps the company asset light, how reusable technology shortens the path from design to market for new products, and why larger reforming and ethylene projects, which can run to several hundred burners each, could make the company’s growth geometric. For additional content, visit www.watertowerresearch.com.

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5
out of 5
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About

 WTR Small-Cap Spotlight is Water Tower Research's weekly podcast covering small-cap and micro-cap equities. Each episode features exclusive CEO interviews, analyst deep-dives, and actionable stock ideas across sectors including biotech, energy, technology, and industrials. Hosted by Tim Gerdeman, WTR Vice Chair & Co-Founder, the show gives investors direct access to the management teams and analysts behind under-the-radar opportunities. New episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms. 

Information

  • Creator
    Water Tower Research
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    323
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 WTR Small-Cap Spotlight
  • Show Website
    WTR Small-Cap Spotlight

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