Mentor Capital to Expand Funding Bridge for Valley of Death

Cancer Companies in 2011

(For Immediate Release, December 21, 2010) 

SAN DIEGO,  Mentor Capital, Inc. (Pink Sheets:MNTR) announces 2011 plans to extend its funding beyond cancer immunotherapy to other leading cancer solutions.  “The Valley of Death” is the financial term used by cancer company CEOs to describe the lack of funding that has been available to develop cancer therapies once they exit the non-profit or government arena.  Funding is not again readily available until discoveries are far enough along for them to be acquired by a large pharmaceutical company.  Mentor Capital feels its shareholders can have the greatest positive impact on the cancer fight by providing funding to leading-edge cancer solutions at the critical middle stage where financing is now lacking.

Mentor Capital, CEO, and Cancer Immunotherapy Index creator Chet Billingsley explains, “The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Milken Family Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation and other non-profits have done an outstanding job unearthing promising cancer solutions.  Through their sponsorship we know that genetically tailored medicines and immunotherapies can focus the body’s own defenses to attack cancer cells.  However, when these laboratory solutions are passed to development companies to take through the FDA registration process, funding dries up. Mentor Capital is stepping in to fill that void. Our current and future shareholders will directly or indirectly supply funding to help prepare the new cancer discoveries for approved commercial use.  The natural exit is then for Roche, Merck, Pfizer, Novartis or Genetics to acquire and go on to market these promising anti-cancer products.”

Mentor is also looking to expand its cancer funding options. The company is exploring possibilities with separate registered investment advisor companies, through an investor representative, to establish other investment avenues. In addition to this potential vertical expansion, Mentor Capital is looking to extend its involvement in cancer acquisitions and investment to include not only cancer immunotherapy companies, but also other leading-edge cancer companies.

Mentor Capital will naturally continue strong involvement with the Mentor Capital Cancer Immunotherapy Index companies because many of the best anti-cancer leaders are found in that index.  The Index includes: Dendreon (NASDAQ:DNDN), Celldex Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CLDX), Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB:PVCT), Oncothyreon (NASDAQ:ONTY), Antigenics (NASDAQ:AGEN), Immunocellular Therapuetics, Ltd. (OTCBB:IMUC), CEL – SCI Corp. (AMEX:CVM),  Biovest International (BVTI.PK), Northwest Biotherapeutics (OTCBB:NWBO), and Generex Biotechnology (NASDAQ:GNBT) as a proxy for its wholly-owned immunotherapeutic subsidiary, Antigen Express.  At approximately year-end, a limited number of new public immunotherapy companies are expected to be added to the Index and to the Mentor Capital web site. To facilitate alternative public investment possibilities, private companies will no longer be listed in the Cancer Immunotherapy Index and Quantum Immunologics, Inc., a private company, will be removed.  Prior to this announcement, Mentor Capital had a significant disagreement with QI management.  To resolve the disagreement, Mentor received back 100% of its investment in QI and entered into a negotiated rescission of any future investment responsibility.

Mentor Capital, Inc. historically invests in all public companies in the Cancer Immunotherapy Index and significantly overweights its positions in those companies it views with the greatest medical and financial promise. The Index company summaries can be tracked through updates of the Cancer Immunotherapy Index presented at  www.MentorCapital.com.    Mentor Capital also holds non-cancer legacy assets that are intended to be monetized and directed toward additional cancer related investment. 

Forward Looking Statements, Safe Harbor and Risk Descriptions are Incorporated by Reference from the MNTR Company Web Site above.  

For further information contact: 

Chester Billingsley, CEO                   

Mentor Capital, Inc.

(760) 788 - 4700