Have you ever watched a stock when it was just a small company and thought that it would become big? You waited and waited, and suddenly, when you least expected it, that stock exploded. You gritted your teeth, saying you knew it was going to be a big hit. But alas! It’s too late, and now the windfall returns have already been diluted.
Don’t let yourself make the same mistake. Here are a few stocks with growth potential that you have been hearing about for a while. However, circumstances have kept them from growing exponentially. No one has it easy in business. One has to burn the midnight oil, take risks, and bear losses to become an outlier.
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Stocks that nobody’s talking about
Ballard Power Systems
Until 2025, nobody was talking about Ballard Power Systems (TSX:BLDP). Because its hydrogen fuel cell technology was expensive, and the company was funding its losses. Its technology helps buses, trains, and trucks run on hydrogen fuel cells, which are environmentally friendly but not pocket-friendly. The only reason it got orders is due to the green subsidies of various European and American companies, and the deep pockets of its Chinese joint venture partner, Weichai Power.
However, you know that hydrogen cells are the future. They can solve the ever-growing problem of transport emissions and reduce dependence on oil and natural gas. Imagine having an end-to-end logistics fleet of hydrogen fuel cells, with ships transporting the goods, trucks carrying them via roadways, and stationary power powering the warehouse. E-commerce and other supply chain operations could significantly lower their emissions.
After years of research, Ballard Power Systems has come quite close to making this technology commercially viable. The company has reported gross profit in 2025, sustained it in the first quarter of 2026, and is on track to turn positive cash flow by 2027. Whether it will succeed or not is difficult to tell.
Will this technology be widely adopted? Will it be safe and commercially feasible? All these questions pose a challenge and could keep the stock volatile. The talks die down whenever a business challenge comes up, and the stock price falls.
Hive stock
Hive Digital Technologies (TSXV:HIVE) is tapping into the artificial intelligence (AI) data centre opportunity by converting its Tier-1 Bitcoin mining data centre to Tier-3 AI data centres. Tier-3 data centers cost three times as much as Tier 1, have 40% more cooling needs, and take longer to become operational. Tapping this opportunity requires Hive to secure capital that can give it the flexibility to take risks. Thus, it is not using debt. AI infrastructure is yet to generate sizeable and guaranteed returns for debt financing. Instead, Hive is tapping the stock exchange in Colombia, Canada, Germany, and the US Nasdaq. This has diluted its equity, because of which the stock has failed to pick up momentum.
The tipping point for the stocks – Until they explode higher
The above two stocks fail to sustain the limelight for the long term because of the challenges and risks that come with new business. However, they have what it takes to explode higher. When that tipping point will come is difficult to tell.
For Ballard Power Systems, the tipping point will come when hydrogen fuel cell technology beats the diesel powertrain in cost of ownership. When that happens, its stock will rise exponentially, making you a millionaire in a few years.
For Hive, the tipping point will come when it onboards a hyperscaler customer, like Google or Amazon. Celestica’s stock exploded after it onboarded a hyperscaler customer. Whether Hive will monetize its AI data centres is worth watching.
Investor takeaway
Suppose you invest $5,000–$10,000 today in the above stocks, and buy and forget them. If the tipping point doesn’t come, your losses will be limited to the amount you invested. But if the tipping point materializes, $10,000 can become $100,000. It is not a gamble but a calculated risk.
