Paul B. Thomas

Fred Alger Management LLC (FAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1964, the firm is wholly-owned by Alger Group Holdings LLC, which is wholly-owned by Alger Associates, Inc. FAM provides both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to institutional investors through separate accounts, US and foreign registered and privately offered funds, as well as through third-party sponsored funds and bank sponsored collective investment trusts; and to retail investors through wrap programs and US and foreign registered funds.

Wedbush Securities, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1955 as Wedbush Morgan Securities, Inc. They are a subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services LLC, which is owned by Wedbush, Inc. Wedbush Securities provides a wide range of securities brokerage, wealth management, and investment banking services to private and institutional clients. Their research focuses on providing coverage of small and mid-sized companies in the following industries: (1) consumer products and services (2) technology (3) entertainment and media (4) life sciences and (5) industrial growth and clean technology.

Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (Broker) (CGMI-Broker) is the broker/dealer division of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., an investment bank headquartered in New York City with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Citigroup Financial Products, Inc., ultimately held by Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C). CGMI-Broker covers all market capitalizations of the major global indices and provides macro and quantitative analysis of global markets and sector trends. Their core focus of the group is to help investing clients make informed decisions by providing value-added, independent, insightful analysis.

Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC (TCP) is a registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The firm was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors LLC, ultimately owned by Blackrock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), which acquired them in 2018. TCP manages assets for pooled investment vehicles, US-registered investment companies, business development companies and private investment funds.

Emmaus Medical, Inc. engages in the discovery, development and commercialization of treatments and therapies for rare diseases. Its current business is the late-stage development presently in Phase III clinical trials with the FDA of the amino acid L-glutamine as a prescription drug for the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease. The company was founded on December 20, 2000 and is headquartered in Torrance, CA.

Yak Academy, Inc. provides play-based foreign language classes. It offers courses in Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, and Italian languages. The company was founded by Robert Allen Kaye and Marie O’Brien in 2004 and is headquartered in Redondo Beach, CA.

EMI Holding, Inc. discovers, develops, and commercializes treatments and therapies for rare diseases. The firm also engages in the marketing and sale of NutreStore L-glutamine powder for oral solution, a treatment for short bowel syndrome and the sale of L-glutamine as a nutritional supplement under the brand name AminoPure. The company was founded by Yutaka Niihara in 1987 and is headquartered in Torrance, CA.

Franklin Advisers, Inc. is a mutual fund manager and registered investment advisor headquartered in San Mateo, California. The firm was founded in 1985 and is a subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN), a holding company that, together with its various subsidiaries is referred to as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Advisers provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to US and non-US, registered open-end and closed-end funds and unregistered funds, as well as separate accounts.

Jefferies LLC is a global investment bank and institutional securities firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Jefferies Group LLC, ultimately held by Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies provides corporate clients with research and execution services in equity, fixed income, and foreign exchange markets, as well as a full range of investment banking services such as underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and recapitalization, and other advisory services, with all businesses operating in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1927, the firm is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). GS&Co. provides services to help hedge funds manage risk, monitor portfolios, maintain liquidity and build their businesses. They offer clients access to global equity and derivatives markets, as well as foreign exchange, commodities, European Lefts, rates and credit across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firm proactively monitors capital markets, searching for pockets of liquidity and news that may require changes to those strategies. Integration with the Goldman Sachs network gives clients access to the firm's sectored block trades and their insights into price discovery. Their electronic trading program provides clients with tools to manage their trades from pre-trade analytics to post-trade analysis.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center operates a hospital that provides healthcare services. It specializes in cancer, endocrinology, gynecology, neurology, orthopedics, and respiratory disorders. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

University of Southern California is a private research university that mainly offers undergraduate, graduate & other higher education. The university was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC provides legal services. Its services include corporate law and governance, public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions, securities class action litigation, intellectual property litigation, antitrust counseling and litigation, joint ventures and strategic alliances, technology licensing and other intellectual property transactions, tax, and employee benefits and employment law. The company was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.

The American Physical Society is an organization that offers information on various prizes, awards, fellowships, scholarships, and grants related to physics. The non-profit company is based in College Park, MD. The company also provides programs that aim to improve physics education, impact policy makers, increase diversity, and inform the public.

Abacus Wealth Partners LLC (Abacus) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The firm was founded by Brent Kessel and Spencer Sherman in 2004 after the merger of Abacus Wealth Management LLC (AWM) and Sherman Financial, Inc. (SFI). Abacus provides investment management services to individuals, high net-worth individuals, couples, families, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and business entities.

New Access Capital Co. Ltd. (New Access Capital) is an independent private equity and venture capital firm headquartered in Shanghai, China. The firm was founded in 2003.

NT Pharma (Holdings) Co., Ltd. engages in the research, development, and sale of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products. The company was founded on April 24, 2007 and is headquartered in Hong Kong.

Deloitte Consulting LLP provides business consulting services. It offers services related to public finance, public sector management, health and social protection, information technology, financial sector, and trade and investment. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

The Aerospace Corp. provides information on launch vehicles, satellite systems, ground control systems, and space technology. It operates a Federally Funded Research and Development Center for the United States Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. The firm also provides independent technical and scientific research, development, and advisory services to national-security space programs. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in El Segundo, CA.

GSAM Stable Value LLC (GSAM SV) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in Burlington, Vermont. The firm was founded in 1983 as Dwight Asset Management Co. LLC. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs Asset Management LP, ultimately held by Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). GSAM SV offers strategies focused on fixed income investment management services for institutional clients.

Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, also known as the Lundquist Institute, is a non-profit research organization located in Torrance, CA. The institute has also started working on a vaccine for the urgent fungal threat, Candida auris, which is spreading at an alarming rate throughout healthcare facilities in the US and is resistant to several antifungal drugs. The institute focuses on biomedical research, clinical trials, and community outreach programs. The institute has various research theme groups and researchers working on different projects, including the Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, which contributes to new research in genomics. The Lundquist Institute has received several grants and gifts for its research, including a $1.50 million gift from Farima and Joseph Czyzyk for the Diagnostic and Wellness Center. The CEO of the private company is David I. Meyer.

Part of KB Financial Group, Inc., PT Bank Syariah Bukopin is an Indonesian company that provides commercial banking services. The company is located in Indonesia.