Solazyme Addresses The Limitations Of Oil Production - An Interview With Solazyme's Director (Part 2) [View article]
I wonder how Mitsui fits in to Ivandertag's "peanut oil" theory. I suppose he'll tell us that Mitsui is so far away that they never actually tested the oil to see if it was real. : )
Solazyme Addresses The Limitations Of Oil Production - An Interview With Solazyme's Director (Part 2) [View article]
There is no 4Q "performance". The only things of any real consequence happening are construction projects, product research and partnerships. And I doubt a minor delay in construction would be a disaster.
Could Algenist disappoint? It will only disappoint those who think it is a material reason to own the stock ---- which it isn't.
Are You Ready To Eat Algae? Solazyme Knows You Are [View article]
BlackNGold wrote today on MF: "I was originally mesmerized by Amyris' potential, but as bad news began to trickle out on all fronts – management shakeups, partnership worries, falling revenue – I quickly jumped ship." Management? Revenue? That's sort of like saying the Civil War was horrible because of mud, bad songs and ugly uniforms. Amyris sank because it's scale up hit a wall -- period. It's as if BlackNGold wants everyone to erase from their memory the fact that AMRS announced a scale-up fiasco, which BlackNGold subsequently dismissed as a "hiccup". He had the info in front of him.
Are You Ready To Eat Algae? Solazyme Knows You Are [View article]
p.s. will people really be "eating algae"? my impression is that the organic cell material is separated from the oil and used elsewhere. now, I couldn't care less either way. but i'm just thinking that when people eat goat cheese, they aren't really "eating goat". (BTW, it's a shame that SZYM is as focused and busy as they are. As a former litigation attorney myself, I can tell you that they could EASILY obtain Ivandertag's identity and sue him successfully for libel. it's been done to Yahoo! posters before.)
Are You Ready To Eat Algae? Solazyme Knows You Are [View article]
Just FYI, I think the inclusion of Sears was a mistake in the transcript of that hearing. The name of the head of the panel meeting that day was "Mr. Sears".
I suspect they were simply addressing him at the time and the word got tacked onto the list of companies. It's the only thing that makes sense really.
Short-Term Traders Sell As Solazyme Secures Its Future Growth [View article]
You prompted your readers to take note of the ease with which Amyris raised money. But you yell "spin" when Kevin takes a similar perspective. Hypocrite much?
Solazyme's Recent Scaling Accomplishment Is Bigger Than You Think [View article]
Yeah, I didn't think for a moment I'd get you to respond directly to my point.
An article can be slanted positive or negative, even if it doesn't have a specific buy or sell recommendation Your reaction to Amyris' failure was more upbeat than your reactions have been to Solazyme's successes. It's not about your lens vs. someone else's lens. It's about inconsistencies in your columns.
You and I both know that a similar setback at Solazyme would not have been characterized as a 'hiccup' that would be overcome with a bit more cash. I'll have to content myself with that.
Solazyme's Recent Scaling Accomplishment Is Bigger Than You Think [View article]
Early this year Amyris said they would be producing a small fraction of what they had expected to produce. It was a HUGE stumble – yeast’s first time at bat in the major leagues – and they struck out looking on three pitches. They then had to dilute heavily and issue debt. Your response?:
“The $83.7 million in financing provides Amyris with the capital needed to overcome the hiccups encountered earlier this month…. Of particular interest to current or prospective Amyris shareholders is the investment from Biolding Investment SA, which is owned by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah of Qatar. It is always great to generate interest from investors with deep pockets and Biolding offers just that.”
Let’s look at that statement for a second and compare it to your comments above. First, you characterized it as a ‘hiccup’. A hiccup? If Solazyme had not been able to achieve linear scale at Clinton would you have said the same? Admit it. You would not have. All one needs to do is look back at your articles and comments in response to Solazyme's SUCCESSES to see proof of that (e.g. your response to the metrics they released on Peoria, which were more extensive than anything ever provide by Kior, Gevo or Amyris).
Second, you made the startling assumption that the dilution gave Amyris the “capital needed to overcome” their little setback. That was not only a generous assumption that you would never give to Solazyme, but it has proven woefully wrong. Amyris has said they need to raise more money this quarter if they are to continue operations through 2013.
Third, you spoke optimistically about the participation of a sheikh in the financing at Amyris……a sheikh. Meanwhile, ADM – perhaps the most prolific fermenter on the face of the planet – is willing to get paid in Solazyme stock in lieu of cash and that vote of confidence gets not a mention in your comments.
In your comments above you do say things like: “I too would have enjoyed more information, but with only 2 runs under their belt they are probably just as clueless as we are….Will today mean anything in 2 months? Who knows.” You acted like Amyris was well on its way to overcoming their problems even as they were releasing NO DETAILS AT ALL and failing badly, but here you go out of your way to emphasize the unknown even as the company reports a success. Actually, I sort of doubt that after working in a pretty big tank at Peoria for a year and with ADM’s people at their side, they are as “clueless” about what they are likely to see going forward as we are.
BTW, you are factually wrong about the Bunge and ADM partnerships involving only pre-fermentation steps. They are working side by side with ADM on fermentation, which is the kind of fermentation experience that nobody else in the industry is getting. But then, Solazyme has little to do with the ‘industry’. They are alone in their technology, process and products. Their success is entirely their own and sheds no light whatsoever on the massive failures to date at the yeast brewers of hydrocarbons at Gevo and Amyris.
Solazyme's Recent Scaling Accomplishment Is Bigger Than You Think [View article]
@azblackbird. You managed to avoid making a single cogent statement.
@blackngold. That you would find fault in their releasing this info further demonstrates your bias. If they'd waited until all scale questions had been answered, you'd have raised issues about their silence. But yes, thanks for letting us know that there are still tasks for Solazyme and ADM employees to complete. We had no idea.
Solazyme's Long-Term Value Provides Opportunity Through Misconception [View article]
1. The claim that they are trying to compete with Exxon is demonstrably false. They have expressly and repeatedly stated that any fuel deals they do in the retail market will be in the nature of sweeteners and blends, and even then such sales won't be substantial for a long time because they plan to focus on high performance oils for the foreseeable future. So yet again, you fail to do your homework.
2) The cosmetic business doesn't cost them anything. It's pretty much breakeven already and on the verge of profitability. They hired a guy from the industry to do the labeling and product development. They had the by-product anyway (it's not oil in the bottles). It would have been really foolish to pass up the opportunity to make a company that went from initial product launch to breakeven in such a short time. Might they sell it? Sure. But no harm in just letting it do its thing. It is totally run by their in-house guy and his team. No distraction at all.
3) Most of their employees help conduct biotechnology research into new algae strains and scale up engineering. Gee, ya know, I'd say that's an okay use for the money.
4) Their cash burn will accelerate because they have started to actually build their plants not because of their employees. (duh)
Solazyme's Long-Term Value Provides Opportunity Through Misconception [View article]
Lack of focus? Solazyme does pretty much one thing. They engineer algae using biotechnology to make triglycerides based on their market research. They then strike deals to produce the oil with a partner in the industry. Sorry, but they are the poster child for focus.
Too many employees? 168 people. They are tiny employee-wise. Strike two.
Too much spending? They've gotten more bang for the buck than anyone even imagined. Even their biggest critic on Seeking Alpha (BlackNGold) agrees they've used their responsibly.
Too many insider sales? Wrong again. Total sales in 2012 are less than 2% of the company's average market cap this year.
If you want to avoid the risk of a company in this stage of development, that's fine. But misleading other readers is a different story.
Solazyme's Long-Term Value Provides Opportunity Through Misconception [View article]
Appreciate the article. One area I'd disagree is cosmetics sales. I don't see 2013 cosmetics topping $20 million and I think they will peak at around $25-30 million.
As far as dilution goes, management has proven itself to be very resourceful. If the technology scales one final step, then the time gap between their current cash and breakeven will be small. If the technology doesn't scale, then dilution won't matter!
Solazyme Addresses The Limitations Of Oil Production - An Interview With Solazyme's Director (Part 2) [View article]
Solazyme Addresses The Limitations Of Oil Production - An Interview With Solazyme's Director (Part 2) [View article]
Could Algenist disappoint? It will only disappoint those who think it is a material reason to own the stock ---- which it isn't.
Are You Ready To Eat Algae? Solazyme Knows You Are [View article]
Are You Ready To Eat Algae? Solazyme Knows You Are [View article]
Are You Ready To Eat Algae? Solazyme Knows You Are [View article]
I suspect they were simply addressing him at the time and the word got tacked onto the list of companies. It's the only thing that makes sense really.
Short-Term Traders Sell As Solazyme Secures Its Future Growth [View article]
Short-Term Traders Sell As Solazyme Secures Its Future Growth [View article]
Solazyme's Recent Scaling Accomplishment Is Bigger Than You Think [View article]
Solazyme's Recent Scaling Accomplishment Is Bigger Than You Think [View article]
An article can be slanted positive or negative, even if it doesn't have a specific buy or sell recommendation Your reaction to Amyris' failure was more upbeat than your reactions have been to Solazyme's successes. It's not about your lens vs. someone else's lens. It's about inconsistencies in your columns.
You and I both know that a similar setback at Solazyme would not have been characterized as a 'hiccup' that would be overcome with a bit more cash. I'll have to content myself with that.
Solazyme's Recent Scaling Accomplishment Is Bigger Than You Think [View article]
“The $83.7 million in financing provides Amyris with the capital needed to overcome the hiccups encountered earlier this month…. Of particular interest to current or prospective Amyris shareholders is the investment from Biolding Investment SA, which is owned by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah of Qatar. It is always great to generate interest from investors with deep pockets and Biolding offers just that.”
Let’s look at that statement for a second and compare it to your comments above. First, you characterized it as a ‘hiccup’. A hiccup? If Solazyme had not been able to achieve linear scale at Clinton would you have said the same? Admit it. You would not have. All one needs to do is look back at your articles and comments in response to Solazyme's SUCCESSES to see proof of that (e.g. your response to the metrics they released on Peoria, which were more extensive than anything ever provide by Kior, Gevo or Amyris).
Second, you made the startling assumption that the dilution gave Amyris the “capital needed to overcome” their little setback. That was not only a generous assumption that you would never give to Solazyme, but it has proven woefully wrong. Amyris has said they need to raise more money this quarter if they are to continue operations through 2013.
Third, you spoke optimistically about the participation of a sheikh in the financing at Amyris……a sheikh. Meanwhile, ADM – perhaps the most prolific fermenter on the face of the planet – is willing to get paid in Solazyme stock in lieu of cash and that vote of confidence gets not a mention in your comments.
In your comments above you do say things like: “I too would have enjoyed more information, but with only 2 runs under their belt they are probably just as clueless as we are….Will today mean anything in 2 months? Who knows.” You acted like Amyris was well on its way to overcoming their problems even as they were releasing NO DETAILS AT ALL and failing badly, but here you go out of your way to emphasize the unknown even as the company reports a success. Actually, I sort of doubt that after working in a pretty big tank at Peoria for a year and with ADM’s people at their side, they are as “clueless” about what they are likely to see going forward as we are.
BTW, you are factually wrong about the Bunge and ADM partnerships involving only pre-fermentation steps. They are working side by side with ADM on fermentation, which is the kind of fermentation experience that nobody else in the industry is getting. But then, Solazyme has little to do with the ‘industry’. They are alone in their technology, process and products. Their success is entirely their own and sheds no light whatsoever on the massive failures to date at the yeast brewers of hydrocarbons at Gevo and Amyris.
Solazyme's Recent Scaling Accomplishment Is Bigger Than You Think [View article]
@blackngold. That you would find fault in their releasing this info further demonstrates your bias. If they'd waited until all scale questions had been answered, you'd have raised issues about their silence. But yes, thanks for letting us know that there are still tasks for Solazyme and ADM employees to complete. We had no idea.
Solazyme's Long-Term Value Provides Opportunity Through Misconception [View article]
2) The cosmetic business doesn't cost them anything. It's pretty much breakeven already and on the verge of profitability. They hired a guy from the industry to do the labeling and product development. They had the by-product anyway (it's not oil in the bottles). It would have been really foolish to pass up the opportunity to make a company that went from initial product launch to breakeven in such a short time. Might they sell it? Sure. But no harm in just letting it do its thing. It is totally run by their in-house guy and his team. No distraction at all.
3) Most of their employees help conduct biotechnology research into new algae strains and scale up engineering. Gee, ya know, I'd say that's an okay use for the money.
4) Their cash burn will accelerate because they have started to actually build their plants not because of their employees. (duh)
Solazyme's Long-Term Value Provides Opportunity Through Misconception [View article]
Too many employees? 168 people. They are tiny employee-wise. Strike two.
Too much spending? They've gotten more bang for the buck than anyone even imagined. Even their biggest critic on Seeking Alpha (BlackNGold) agrees they've used their responsibly.
Too many insider sales? Wrong again. Total sales in 2012 are less than 2% of the company's average market cap this year.
If you want to avoid the risk of a company in this stage of development, that's fine. But misleading other readers is a different story.
Solazyme's Long-Term Value Provides Opportunity Through Misconception [View article]
As far as dilution goes, management has proven itself to be very resourceful. If the technology scales one final step, then the time gap between their current cash and breakeven will be small. If the technology doesn't scale, then dilution won't matter!
Dow Looks To Corner The $2 Billion Dielectric Fluids Market [View article]