Small companies don’t usually sign customer contracts worth more than the entire company. On Tuesday, one did. The rest of the week brought a copper hole in British Columbia that cut a zone the company hadn’t modeled, an FDA-agreed blueprint for a dementia trial that won’t start until 2027, and a uranium explorer that sold part of two properties to Denison in the same release that disclosed a Nasdaq deficiency notice.
Tech & Innovation
Duos Technologies Signs 10-Year, 20 MW Deal Worth Over $400 Million
Duos Technologies Group (Nasdaq: DUOT) announced October 20 that it signed a 10-year colocation agreement (Duos supplies the powered facility space; the customer brings its own computing hardware) for 20 megawatts of facility load. The customer is described only as a mature, publicly traded cloud services provider in the United States. Duos puts the total contract value at more than $400 million over the initial term, with deployment expected in Q2 2027.
Spread across ten years, that averages more than $40 million annually. Duos reported total Q2 2026 revenue of $6.18 million, and its market value sat below $300 million heading into the announcement.
Deployment isn’t expected until Q2 2027, and the release doesn’t name the site or say how the build will be paid for.
The company also said it is working to secure roughly 100 MW of powered, data center-zoned land across multiple US sites. About 25 MW of that is under contract and about 75 MW is still in negotiation, with Duos expecting to finalize all site agreements by year-end. Its own cautionary language says negotiations, letters of intent and term sheets are not definitive agreements and may not result in completed transactions, and that sites under contract remain subject to diligence and closing conditions.
This sits on top of August’s five-year, 55 MW hosting agreements with Axe Compute, valued at over $500 million, where billing depends on ready-for-service testing and Axe Compute’s written acceptance of each deployment. That makes more than $900 million in announced contract value since mid-August. Building it is the harder part.
Mining & Minerals
NorthWest Copper Drills 110 Meters of 1.86% CuEq at Kwanika
NorthWest Copper (TSXV: NWST, OTC: NWCCF) reported October 21 that hole K-26-346 in the Western Zone of its 100%-owned Kwanika project in British Columbia returned 110.0 meters grading 0.64% copper and 1.10 g/t gold, or 1.86% copper equivalent (CuEq), starting 378 meters downhole. The company estimates the true width at 84.3 meters. Inside that interval sit 39.8 meters at 2.53% CuEq and 16.1 meters at 4.37% CuEq.
The hole that caught the company’s own geologists off guard was K-26-264. It cut 30 meters of 1.07% CuEq in a structure above the mineralized units NorthWest had already defined, and Geoff Chinn, NorthWest’s VP of business development and exploration, called it unexpected. The company flagged it as a new structure to follow up.
Gold carries most of this grade. NorthWest’s CuEq formula uses $3,100/oz gold, $4.50/lb copper, $36/oz silver and $1,100/oz palladium, with recoveries of 96% gold, 90% copper, 96% silver and 0% palladium. Run through that formula, the 1.10 g/t gold in K-26-346 accounts for roughly 1.18 percentage points of the 1.86% CuEq headline, close to two-thirds of it.
These are infill holes, drilled to tighten spacing to about 50 meters and support higher-confidence resource classification later. Kwanika already has an NI 43-101 resource updated in March, and these results are not part of it. Back then the company targeted an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment for mid-2026; the October 21 release still describes that PEA work as ongoing. Results are in for 14 of the 43 holes drilled this year. NWCCF is the company’s US over-the-counter line, and US investors should confirm availability with their broker.
Biotech & Life Sciences
Cognition Therapeutics Gets FDA Alignment on Its Phase 3 DLB Trial Design
Cognition Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CGTX) said October 22 it has aligned with the FDA on key elements of a Phase 3 study of zervimesine (CT1812), its investigational once-daily oral drug, in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), a progressive neurodegenerative disease the company calls the second most common cause of dementia. The agreed elements cover patient selection, dose, duration and endpoints. The planned study would randomize people with mild-to-moderate DLB to 100 mg of zervimesine or placebo daily for nine months.
The primary endpoint is a neuropsychiatric inventory measure of hallucinations and delusions (NPI-2), with a daily-living scale (ADCS-ADL) as the key secondary. Using psychosis as the main readout is a deliberate bet. The company’s CMO argued in the release that hallucinations show up early in most DLB patients and worsen predictably, so changes in them can stand in for changes in the disease. There are no approved drugs for DLB.
The FDA has aligned with Cognition on how to run the trial. It has said nothing about whether the drug works, and no Phase 3 patient has been dosed.
In its Q2 update, Cognition said it is targeting a mid-2027 Phase 3 start with an improved tablet composition, and that its cash funds operations into the fourth quarter of 2027. A nine-month treatment period starting mid-2027 can’t read out inside that runway. The stock traded below $1 through much of October; Cognition has worked through a Nasdaq minimum bid price deficiency before, regaining compliance in August 2025.
Green Energy & Cleantech
Foremost Clean Energy Sells 31% of Two Uranium Properties to Denison
Foremost Clean Energy (Nasdaq: FMST, CSE: FAT) agreed October 22 to sell Denison Mines a 31% interest in its GR and Blackwing properties in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin and form two exploration joint ventures, with Foremost keeping 20% of each. Denison pays $650,000 in total consideration and receives 1,031,191 five-year warrants exercisable at $1.80, more than 175% above Foremost’s $0.64 close that day.
The two properties cover 91,212 hectares combined. Denison will fund 80% of future spending and has committed to either run geophysical surveys or make deficiency deposits to keep the claims in good standing until at least January 4, 2028. Interim CEO David Cates was direct about why: the land package and the annual work commitments needed to hold it are large, and the JVs let Foremost keep exposure without carrying the full cost.
Closing is expected on or about November 2, subject to regulatory and stock exchange approvals and customary conditions. Denison’s warrant exercises are capped so its stake can’t exceed 19.95% of Foremost, and any exercise dilutes existing holders. The amended option agreement on the remaining eight Denison properties will be posted on SEDAR+.
The same release disclosed a Nasdaq notice: Foremost’s shares closed below the US$1.00 minimum bid for 30 consecutive business days, from September 4 to October 16, and it has until April 19, 2027 to regain compliance. It also disclosed an extended paid investor relations engagement with RedChip at US$11,000 a month through April 2027, plus a two-week national TV ad campaign costing US$150,000.
Crypto & Fintech
Crypto & Fintech: What Moved the Sector This Week
Bitcoin pushed to an intraday high near $84,860 on October 21, then dropped about 3.2% the next day as US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $635.5 million in net outflows, their largest single-day withdrawal since June 25. That one session reversed nearly 60% of the inflows from the three before it. Another $137.9 million left on October 23, led by BlackRock’s IBIT.
Leveraged traders took the hit, with about $418 million in long liquidations over 24 hours on October 22, per CoinGlass data. Bitcoin finished Saturday near $80,800, about 36% below its October 2025 all-time high of roughly $126,080.
None of that activity was concentrated in small or micro-cap crypto or fintech equities on the TSX or CSE this week. The moves played out at the token and large ETF level.
What to Watch Next
Deployment is targeted for Q2 2027. Before then, watch for the site agreements on roughly 100 MW of land that Duos expects to finalize by year-end, since about 75 MW of it was still in negotiation as of October 20.
Results are out for 14 of the 43 holes drilled in 2026, which leaves 29 pending. The other open item is the updated Preliminary Economic Assessment, originally targeted for mid-2026 and still described as ongoing.
Cognition says it is completing a protocol based on the FDA alignment and has targeted a mid-2027 start with an improved tablet. Its stated cash runway reaches into Q4 2027, short of a nine-month treatment period, so the financing plan for the trial is the next thing to look for.
Closing is expected on or about November 2, subject to regulatory and stock exchange approvals. On the listing, Foremost needs a closing bid of at least US$1.00 for ten consecutive business days before April 19, 2027, or it may become eligible for a second 180-day period if it meets Nasdaq’s other listing standards.
Not as of October 23, when another $137.9 million left the funds after the October 22 outflow. Daily ETF flows remain the clearest gauge to watch, along with the Federal Reserve’s next rate decision.
Sources
- Duos Technologies Announces 20 MW Customer Agreement and Approximately 100 MW of Land Expansion Plans, GlobeNewswire (via Finviz), October 20, 2026
- Duos secures cloud provider as customer for 20MW of data center capacity, Data Center Dynamics, October 2026
- Duos Technologies Signs Five-Year, 55 MW Hosting Agreements with Axe Compute Valued at Over $500 Million, SEC EDGAR Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1, August 17, 2026
- Duos Technologies Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results, GlobeNewswire (via Earnings Whispers), August 17, 2026
- NorthWest Intersects 110.0 Metres of 1.86% CuEq, 0.64% Copper and 1.10 g/t Gold in the Western Zone at Kwanika from 378 Metres, GlobeNewswire, October 21, 2026
- Copper Explorer Finds More Than Expected, The Globe and Mail, October 21, 2026
- NorthWest Announces Updated Mineral Resource at Kwanika Reflecting Strategic Shift to Higher-Grade Copper-Gold Focus, GlobeNewswire (via Barchart), March 2, 2026
- Cognition Therapeutics Announces Alignment with FDA on Pivotal Phase 3 Trial of Zervimesine (CT1812) in Dementia with Lewy Bodies, SEC EDGAR Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1, October 22, 2026
- Cognition Therapeutics Reports Financial Results for the Second Quarter 2026 and Provides Business Update, Cognition Therapeutics IR, August 6, 2026
- Cognition Therapeutics Form 8-K on Regaining Nasdaq Bid Price Compliance, SEC EDGAR, August 26, 2025
- Foremost to Form Joint Ventures with Denison for GR and Blackwing Properties and to Issue Warrants at a Significant Premium, GlobeNewswire, October 22, 2026
- Bitcoin Historical Data, Investing.com, accessed October 25, 2026
- Bitcoin ETFs shed $635 million as BTC tests their holdings’ estimated $81,500 cost basis, CryptoSlate, October 23, 2026
- BTC Price Tumbles to $80K: Why Is Bitcoin Falling, and What’s Next?, Coinpedia, October 24, 2026
- Crypto Price Today: Bitcoin Price Falls to $81,668 as $635M ETF Outflows Drag Ethereum & XRP, The Crypto Times, October 23, 2026
Editorial Disclosure
The Crypto & Fintech item in this article covers sector-wide activity; no specific company is the subject of coverage. Tickers discussed as company subjects in this article: DUOT (Duos Technologies Group), NWST / NWCCF (NorthWest Copper), CGTX (Cognition Therapeutics), and FMST / FAT (Foremost Clean Energy). aktiego.com has received no compensation from any company, IR firm, or third party in connection with this coverage, and no aktiego.com staff member holds a position in any security named above. Press release dates and primary sources were verified against GlobeNewswire and SEC EDGAR. All companies named as subjects are under $500 million USD in market capitalization as of the dates referenced above. Duos Technologies has not named the counterparty to its 20 MW colocation agreement; deployment is expected in Q2 2027, and the company has not disclosed how the build will be financed. Of the roughly 100 MW of land Duos is pursuing, about 75 MW is in negotiation and not under definitive agreement, and sites under contract remain subject to diligence and closing conditions. Billing under Duos’ August agreements with Axe Compute is subject to ready-for-service testing and Axe Compute’s written acceptance. NorthWest Copper is an exploration-stage company with no revenue. NI 43-101, Canada’s national standard for public disclosure of scientific and technical information on mineral projects, governs the existing Kwanika mineral resource; the drill results reported here are not included in that resource. Intervals are core lengths with company-estimated true widths. Copper equivalent grades assume $3,100/oz gold, $4.50/lb copper, $36/oz silver and $1,100/oz palladium, with recoveries of 96% gold, 90% copper, 96% silver and 0% palladium. NorthWest’s updated Preliminary Economic Assessment, originally targeted for mid-2026, has not been released. NorthWest’s US over-the-counter line trades as NWCCF; US investors should check availability with their broker. Zervimesine is an investigational drug and is not approved by the FDA; alignment with the FDA on a trial design is not an approval, and the Phase 3 study has not begun. Cognition Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company with no product revenue; it states that its cash funds operations into the fourth quarter of 2027, before a nine-month Phase 3 treatment period starting in mid-2027 could conclude, and additional financing may be dilutive. Cognition’s shares traded below $1.00 during October 2026, and the company has previously received and resolved a Nasdaq minimum bid price deficiency. Foremost Clean Energy is an exploration-stage company with no revenue and is led by an interim CEO. The Denison transaction is subject to regulatory and stock exchange approvals and customary closing conditions and is expected to close on or about November 2, 2026. Foremost has received a Nasdaq notice of non-compliance with the US$1.00 minimum bid price rule and has until April 19, 2027 to regain compliance. Warrants issued to Denison are dilutive to existing shareholders on exercise. Foremost has disclosed a paid investor relations engagement with RedChip Companies at US$11,000 per month and a US$150,000 national television campaign. These are speculative investments carrying significant risk including potential total loss of capital. Digital assets are highly volatile. Coverage on aktiego.com is provided for informational and educational purposes only. aktiego.com is not a registered investment advisor. Nothing in this article constitutes financial, investment, or professional advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own due diligence and consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For more information please see our full DISCLAIMER.
