In the latest episode of Cannabis Unlocked, we interview Joe Hodas - the Chief Marketing Officer of Wana Brands. This conversation comes a few weeks after the landmark announcement in which Canopy Growth purchased the option to buy Wana Brands following US federal legalization. 

In this conversation, we discuss brand loyalty in cannabis as it relates to form factors like edibles, flower and vapes. We further dive into the Canopy Growth acquisition and how the transaction will benefit both parties. From there, we discuss Wana's future growth plans and Joe's expectations for the evolving competitive landscape in cannabis edibles. Please enjoy!

In the latest episode of Cannabis Unlocked, we interview Scott Jordan - the Founder of Alternative Finance Network. In this conversation, we discuss the evolution of direct lending to cannabis borrowers over the past eight years. We further dive into the capital markets evolution for direct lenders and how the cost of capital for borrowers has evolved over time. From there, we discuss the target borrowers for Alt Finance Network's loans, and what type of interest rates they should expect to pay in the market today. Please enjoy!

In the latest episode of Cannabis Unlocked, we interviewed attorneys Bob Hoban and Brent Johnson of Clark Hill (recently acquired their firm Hoban Law Group). In this conversation, we discuss the evolution of the regulatory landscape in cannabis over the past 13 years. We further dive into the transaction process by which Hoban Law Group was acquired by Clark Hill, and what this means for future M&A in the cannabis space. From there, we discuss the outlook for cannabis legalization at both the state and federal level. Please enjoy!

In the latest episode of Cannabis Unlocked, we interviewed the Head of Government Relations at Canopy Growth Corporation, David Culver. David has decades of experience working on Capital Hill, and has been working in the cannabis industry on behalf of Canopy for just about 3 years now. Prior to the cannabis industry, David worked for Distilled Spirits Counsel in government relations. In this episode we explore the history of cannabis legalization, the Cannabis Administration Opportunity Act and how David interprets the bill and his views on federal legalization in the US. 

In the latest episode of Cannabis Unlocked, we've assembled an all-star panel of cannabis venture capital and debt capital investors. The panel includes venture capital panelists Serge Sherman (Managing Director at Tuatara Capital) and Ross Desmarais (Principal at Intrinsic Capital Partners). Additionally, we are joined by credit fund investors Heather La Freniere (Founder at LAGO Innovation Fund) and Jonathon Goldrath (Partner at FocusGrowth Asset Management).  

Along with host Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners), the five discuss the importance of backing strong management teams and lessons learned from the ups and downs of cannabis capital markets. Further, they discuss valuations in cannabis today, what the current landscape looks like amongst institutional investors, and how we expect regulatory change to impact the industry moving forward. Please enjoy.

Jess Lukas (SVP at BDS Analytics) and Pete Karabas (Founding Partner of KEY Investment Partners) discuss trends in the US cannabis market in 2021. Lukas and Karabas dive into the dynamics of cannabis markets on a state by state basis, how the biggest brands decide where to expand next, and why new form factors have increased legal cannabis usage over the past several years.

Jess Lukas (SVP at BDS Analytics) and Pete Karabas (Founding Partner of KEY Investment Partners) discuss trends in the US cannabis market in 2021. Lukas and Karabas dive into the dynamics of cannabis markets on a state by state basis in 2021, how the biggest brands decide where to expand next, and why new form factors have increased legal cannabis usage over the past several years. 

Justin Fischer (CEO and Co-Founder RiskScout) and Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner of KEY Investment Partners) discuss compliance solutions for the cannabis banking system. The two discuss Justin's decision to enter the cannabis industry and how he decided to develop compliance software for the sector. Justin further discusses the hurdles faced by Tier 1 (plant-touching) businesses relative to Tier 2 and 3 (ancillary) businesses, and how legislative changes should impact the need for compliance solutions.

Charlie Uchill (COO CERES Coin) and Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner of KEY Investment Partners) discuss cryptocurrency as a payments solution for the cannabis industry. The two discuss Charlie's decision to enter the cannabis industry and how he decided to develop a payment processing solution for the sector. Charlie further discusses why he chose a cryptocurrency as the preferred solution, and the regulatory approval process for CERES coin to be approved by the SEC. The two further discuss why blockchain technology can be used for seed-to-sale tracking in cannabis, and why Charlie believes the product will remain relevant following the repeal of Federal prohibition.

In the latest episode of Cannabis Unlocked, we've assembled an all-star panel of cannabis specialty finance experts. The panel includes experts from equipment finance (David Kivitz - CEO of XS Financial), real estate (Kyle Shenfeld - President of Rainbow Realty Group), working capital finance (Ting Hu - Director of Finance at Nabis Capital) and venture capital (Jordan Youkilis - Founding Partner of KEY Investment Partners). The four discuss underwritten returns for their respective asset classes relative to returns outside of cannabis and best practices for deal sourcing. Additionally, they discuss the cost of capital for each of their respective asset classes and forecast the competitive landscape for specialty finance as the industry moves towards federal legalization.