Cannabis Investing Network

In this episode we are joined by Kim Rivers who is CEO, Founder and Chair of Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Kim is one of the industry's most well known and respected executives. She has deep operational knowledge and a keen eye for detail.

In this episode we discuss:

- Doubling Down in Florida since 2019: what others missed

- Customer Obsessed: How data drives high per store sales

- The importance of Scale

- Operations: What is Trulieve doing differently?

- 2 big limiting factors in Cultivation Construction

- Using automation to drive efficiency and stay flexible

- Investments in robotics to “bring the plant to the worker”

- Florida Adult Use: how big could the market be?

- Milestones to getting rec on the 2024 ballot

- Divestitures, Convertibles & Warrants…how to spot a shakeout

- M&A: How Trulieve is positioned for the future

A big thank you to Kim for joining us for a highly informative chat.

Follow Kim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rivers_kim

Whitney Tilson is a well known value investor with a long and varied past in financial markets. He joins us to discuss markets, value investing and how he got interested in cannabis stocks.

We discuss:

- How Whitney got started in investing

- Being a Late 1990's "Bull Market Genius"

- How that Bull Run compares to Today's

- Getting religion by learning about Buffett and Value Investing

- The Ups and Downs of starting his own hedge fund 

- Market Timing: Indicators that Whitney looks for

- What attracted Whitney to the Cannabis Sector

- How the current rout in Cannabis compares to Tech in 2000

- The 3 things Whitney looks for in a winning company

Thanks to Whitney for joining us for this fun and wide ranging discussion

Sign Up for Whitney's Free Newsletter:

https://empirefinancialresearch.com/newsletters/whitney-tilson-daily

Follow Whitney on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/whitneytilson

In this episode we are joined by Frank Perullo of Ascend Wellness. Frank is a Co-Founder of AWH and currently serves as President and Chief Strategy Officer.

We Discuss:

- Frank’s Background in Regulatory Affairs

- Early Days of being a Cannabis Consultant in MA

- Working with GTI, Tilt, Ianthus, Acreage along with mom & pop operators

- Why is it so Difficult to Open a Dispensary in MA?

- Genesis: Meeting Abner and Creating Ascend

- Moving Fast: Why Ascend was able to win the Friend St Store in Boston

- IL: Buying a Distressed Cultivation Asset

- Deciding to Double Stack to be ready for Adult Use

- NJ: Doing a Deal after Everyone Had Looked at it

- Ground Game: Finding Great Retail Locations by Knocking on Doors

- How’s the New Jersey Market?

- Changing Canopy Sizing based on Projected Supply

- Entering PA via acquiring a CR license

- Second Mover Advantage

- Customers: Value vs Premium and Inflation Pressures

- Why Should Investors choose Ascend?

Thanks to Frank for joining us for this very fun and informative interview

In this episode we discuss the complexities of investing across any asset class right now.

From commercial real estate to cannabis, investors are facing tough questions about the future, especially in the context of inflation and rising interest rates.

As delve into some of the uncertainties and examine reasons why Q4 and Q1 were so tough for operators.

In this episode we update our Fed Party analogy to ask: where are we now? What's next? Where is the opportunity?

As the broader market gets crushed we discuss what is happening, how stocks are being repriced and how cannabis will look in comparison. 

Link:

The Fed on Inflation & Rates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugBKSiTL0IU&ab_channel=BloombergMarketsandFinance

We're back! After a long road trip we share our thoughts, takeaways and changes in strategy after a very productive Benzinga.

What did we see? What did we learn? What are the best investment opportunities right now?

In this week's episode we discuss Burn Out. As sentiment continues to be depressed and the macro environment looks ugly it is easy to feel down and out on cannabis. In this episode we discuss ideas and strategies for handling and avoiding burn out.

In this episode we discuss balancing short term catalysts for cannabis with an ugly macro picture.

We also look out to 2024 and discuss how the industry will look, with multiple attractive markets open and a presidential election approaching.

Videos mentioned:

Fed will Crush Stocks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiiib9oqTB0&t=1s&ab_channel=BloombergMarketsandFinance 

In this weeks episode we do a market update on:

- the MORE act passing the house (again)

- Mainstream recognition and momentum building

- CAOA and SAFE possibilities

- New Mexico starting legal sales with a bang

- Listener Question re: Schwazze 

- Cresco x Columbia Care Merger thoughts

We also discuss how the macro effects of inflation, supply chain issues and accelerating rate hikes might break the economy. We talk through how cannabis might behave in a recession and why it may not be all bad for the industry.

In this episode we go back to where it all started – the Canadian cannabis market!

We are joined by Everett Knight who is Executive Vice President at the Valens Company. Everett has a very interesting background as he was an institutional investor in Cannabis as early as 2013. He has toured over 200 cannabis facilities between the US and Canada, investing on both sides of the border. He experienced significant investment success in the early days before deciding to “get in the game” by join Valens.

Because Everett has experience on both sides of the fence he has a unique perspective - the ability to think through the investment implications of the industry but have a view to the inner operational side of the business. Similarly, Valens has operations in both Canada and the US (including a new NASDAQ listing). 

We have a very honest conversation about: 

- what Canada looked like early on

- why Canada is so challenging as a market

- how Canada compares to California (and other unlimited license states)

- Valens financial performance and outlook for 2023

- what will happen to Canada over the next 2 years?

Thanks to Everett for joining us.

You can follow him @ https://twitter.com/smallcapfund

or contact Valens IR @ https://thevalenscompany.com/contact/