Great question indeed! I am a retired scientist, fascinated by...

Great question indeed! I am a retired scientist, fascinated by innovation and have learned much about the enormous difficulties involved in commercialisation (or achieving uptake in the public good sector). That background shapes my take on the 4DS share price.

We all know that there are many, many startup companies out there formed to access capital needed to develop what looks to be a very smart idea with enormous commercial potential. Typically they have no or negligible income, cash burn is uncomfortably high, cash raises frequent, jam is promised tomorrow (or next year) and for any of myriad reasons, the great majority come to nothing very much (at least for the investor). That said there is the occasional a real gem out there and I entertain myself by trying to find some. My success rate is around one in twenty of those that I actually invest in. Yes, around 95% of my picks don't come to anything much or fail completely. But 5% success rate is enough to be highly profitable over the long term. Folk like your mate Steve are sane enough to think investing with an expectation of a 5% success rate (i.e. acting on one of my stock picks) is a compelling case to leave your hard earned $$ in the bank - or to pay down the mortgage! And its worth remembering that at the point of investment, my enthusiasm/belief in the company is very much as ours is now for 4DS. I'm in love with every one of them to start with! Yes, I'm getting better at spotting signs that signal failure and I even manage to get out of around half without losing money. But you need some hard-earned experience just to achieve that much. Again, something most investors (and your mate Steve) would recognise tips the odds even further toward losing money.

So, in summary, I think 4DS share price is where it is because the generic outcome of investing in innovation startups is largely disappointment for the investor. It is very, very difficult to identify ones that will fly commercially and reward the investor. This difficulty plus the disappointment being the norm holds down the share price of those destined to succeed. That is why the 4DS share price is only a few cents. That said, all the signs I see with 4DS are that this is indeed one of that select few innovation investments that will succeed. But, then my track record says I'm very likely (95% chance!) wrong.

Have a wonderful Xmas and a very profitable New Year!