Investing in Cannabis

Investing in Cannabis episodes:

• 10.26.2022

  The Final Episode

  Well guys this is it for iC!  I tried to think of something intelligent or witty or thought provoking to leave you all with, but it didn’t come. Words can’t really express the gratitude I feel for everyone who gave...

  
• 09.12.2022

  Midwest Medical w/ Greenlight Dispensary

  Just one more after this! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad ;( Next ep we will have a special guest to wrap up the show; me! Everyone in the cannabis industry right now seems to...

  
• 08.23.2022

  Breeding to Brand w/ Nick of Claybourne

  The rumors are true . . . there are only 2 episodes remaining of Investing in Cannabis. More on why in the coming weeks. This week we have Nick of Claybourne. Nick describes their process as breed to brand as he...

  
• 07.28.2022

  Oklahoma w/ The Nirvana Group

  Only 3 episodes of Investing in Cannabis left! Yes the rumors are true, after 7 years iC podcast is coming to an end. I need new challenges and nobody makes money in the cannabis industry. Over the next few weeks, I'll...

  
• 07.19.2022

  OG Investor Matt Hawkins of Entourage Effect Capital

  In a rare iC episode, Matt Hawkins of Entourage Effect Capital joins the show for the 2nd time! Matt has been very busy since we last chatted. Through 3 funds, the firm has invested in 60+ companies since 2014. He...

  
• 07.13.2022

  How to become a VC w/ Helene of JourneyOne Ventures

  5 years ago, Helene of JourneyOne Ventures reached out to ask me how to become a cannabis VC. What a goal! Several very long cannabis years later, she has launched a pre-seed to series-A fund focused on cannabis technology startups....

  
• 06.28.2022

  Germany and international trade with Nik of Bloomwell

  We've talked many times on this show about the pros and cons of being vertically integrated. Increasingly we are seeing successful brands that are asset light and benefit from the infrastructure others have built. At the same time, as values...

  
• 06.14.2022

  TOP 5 in CA: Falcon Brands walks the line between corporate and cool

  The California cannabis knife fight continues! In a deep field of competitors, Falcon Brands has managed to rise to the top. Their brands CRU, Jetpacks, and others are in the top 3 for their categories. CEO Steve Gutterman attributes this...

  
• 06.01.2022

  next generation edibles with Azuca

  Do you like edibles? What do you like about them? People who don't tend to have the same complaints; it takes too long to hit, it lasts too long, it makes me tired. What if we could solve some of these...

  
• 05.24.2022

  Big Pete's brings its cookies to the east coast

  Does the east coast want California cannabis brands? While most California cannabis brands struggle to find relevancy (and profitability), Big Pete's is bringing its #1 selling cookies to New York and beyond. Licensing and a franchise-like-model looks to be very profitable...

  
• 05.13.2022

  Dennis O'Malley on Parent Co, De-verticalization, future of marketing, and of course Jay Z

  Should companies de-verticalize? How do CA brands win on the east coast? Do billboards work? How much does Jay Z actually do? These questions and more with my friend and former Caliva CEO Dennis O'Malley. https://www.linkedin.com/in/domalley/

  
• 05.03.2022

  MJ Unpacked Founder George Jage is creating better events

  Did you go to MJ Unpacked in Vegas last year? The new event was talk of the town and created a more intimate, focused environment that was refreshing after the madness and party that MJBiz and Hall of Flowers have...

  
• 04.26.2022

  News w/ Judson of Bespoke Financial : Leaf Trade, Backbone, 4/20

  Lots of news last week! My good friend Judson and I sat down to chop it up and share our takes on all the happenings from last week: Leaf Trade b2b marketplace raises $12.5M Backbone supply chain software raises $14M Bespoke Financial...

  
• 04.19.2022

  SeaWeed Naturals and the Cousteau legacy

  Celebrity brands have taken over the cannabis industry. Everywhere you look brands are slapping celebrity endorsements on the packaging and hoping someone picks it up and tries it. Real connoisseurs should be wary, as most of these brands are more...

  
• 04.15.2022

  Throwback Episode: Leaf Trade raises 12.5M for b2b wholesale cannabis

  In this Throwback episode we bring back Michael Piermont of Leaf Trade. This week Leaf Trade raised a fresh 12.5M round to propel its marketplace and technology platform for wholesale cannabis. We recorded this back in 2020 and the episode...

  
• 04.12.2022

  Friendly Farms and the future of vapes

  Do you like vapes? Yeah, me neither. Except Friendly Farms. The best live resin cart on the market has quickly spread across California. This is high level cannabis nerdery at its finest. Chaz breaks down what is the actual difference...

  
• 04.07.2022

  Episode 200!!! Thank you and TBT Dennis of Caliva

  200. It has a nice ring to it. I started the Investing in Cannabis podcast in 2015 with some friends and one goal; Meet some cool people in the new cannabis industry. It worked! 200 episodes later I am overcome with...

  
• 03.22.2022

  Grassdoor secret mastermind Zack Ein

  In an iC exclusive, Grassdoor founder Zack Ein does his first ever public interview. In the backyard of his LA home, Zack opens up about the ins and outs of starting and scaling a last mile delivery business. If you...

  
• 03.16.2022

  Cannabis & Gaming with OpenNest & Pine Park

  Cannabis and video games have long since been a perfect match on a Saturday afternoon, but how much do the customer basis overlap? If you like cannabis or just nascent industries, you probably are interested in gaming and esports. It's...

  
• 03.08.2022

  Sunderstorm, Kanha and scaling an OG edible brand

  Sunderstorm is a family of cannabis brands best known for its legacy and true OG gummy brand, Kanha. Keith explains the full playbook for scaling from a small mom and pop to a national brand including; manufacturing, licensing, marketing, and...

  
• 03.01.2022

  Tyson 2.0 and how to do a celeb brand right.

  Do celebrity brands work? Most celebrity brands suck. They get away with inferior products and marketing because they have that celebrity photo on the packaging. It's kind of like how restaurants with incredible views don't need to have great food. Tyson...

  
• 02.17.2022

  Our Dream Academy is changing the equity conversation

  This week on the pod, we have Hilary of Our Dream Academy, a non profit accelerator designed to help minorities and founders impacted by the war on drugs build businesses. It is a fascinating discussion about where we are in...

  
• 02.08.2022

  Israeli Cannabis and Beyond with Alexander of Intercure

  This week we welcome a very special guest Alexander Rabinovitch CEO of Intercure. Intercure is a large vertically integrated Israeli cannabis firm pushing the boundaries of international trade. Intercure also has the exclusive license to sell cookies in Israel. That's...

  
• 01.26.2022

  Jon Bond, Director of Partnerships at Dutchie

  Dutchie creates technology that powers e-commerce and point of sale solutions for dispensaries. It ​is a name synonymous with cannabis technology. If you don't know that name, you should. Jon Bond is a true OG of the industry and a...

  
• 01.18.2022

  Leafwire CEO, Peter Vogel building the largest Cannabis & Hemp B2B Network

  Leafwire is the world's largest Cannabis and Hemp B2B Network. The Linkedin of cannabis is about to get a massive pivot, as Leafwire takes over the cannabis events space. Peter explains how he built a social media platform from scratch...

  
• 01.11.2022

  Chief Investment Officer at 4Front Ventures, Andrew Thut

  Originally from Washington, 4Front Ventures is very focused on low cost production and operations. They are not interested in celebrity endorsements or fancy marketing. The team at 4Front wants to get down to business and expand with the same playbook. Thanks...

  
• 01.04.2022

  MedMen founder Adam Bierman

  Starting 2022 with a big episode and an all-time great conversation. We have Adam Bierman taking us through the past 10 years of MedMen. Much has been said about the MedMen story but this conversation reaches depth that only the...

  
• 12.15.2021

  Regulation peace of mind with Simplifya CEO, Marion M.

  Are you following the rules as a cannabis business owner? Are you expanding into new regions/states in the USA and want to make sure you stay compliant with local law? Brandon's conversation with Marion the CEO of Simplifya is a...

  
• 12.08.2021

  Jake Catt, CEO and co-founder of Gardenhouse Brands

  From Jake's LinkedIn: "Gardenhouse is a cannabis brand house based in California offering retailers a curated menu of affordable premium brands. Gardenhouse evolved from DomPen, a leading all-in-one vape brand with efficient and licensed in-house manufacturing and sales. As Co-Founder...

  
• 11.23.2021

  How Tahira Rehmatullah (CEO at Commons) uses trust to sell CBD products

  Brandon chats with Tahira the co-founder and CEO at Commons. Her and her co-founder have had big positive impacts from the use of CBD products in their lives. Now they are on a mission with Commons to democratize the access...

  
• 11.16.2021

  Retail stores and consumption lounges with Lauren Fontein

  Brandon stops by The Artist Tree in Los Angeles to talk to co-founder Lauren Fontein. About the company: "With more than 13 years of experience in the California cannabis industry, The Artist Tree team is passionate about changing how people experience...

  
• 11.09.2021

  A science class about terpenes with Maxwell Koby, CEO of Abstrax Tech

  Time to nerd out about cannabis extraction a little. Brandon starts with a basic line of questioning; What is a Terpene? And as the episode progresses they get into the deep water of the conversation about the science behind some...

  
• 11.02.2021

  A wide ranging chat with Frank Knuettel of Unrivaled Brands

  Brandon is in Santa Ana, California this week at the dispensary/office of Unrivaled Brands. They believe the dominate cannabis brands of the future will come from the west coast. Specifically California and Oregon where Unrivaled Brands is currently doing business....

  
• 10.26.2021

  Eddie Lucarelli, the CFO at Riv Capital Live from Vegas!

  Eddie Lucarelli, the CFO at Riv Capital is on the program this week. Enjoy!

  
• 10.05.2021

  Holistic cannabis marketing and sales with Petalfast CEO, Jason Vegotsky.

  Looking for level ups for your cannabis business? Do you have very specific goals that will get your business from A to B or 0 to 1? The marketing and sales team at Pedalfast is world class and industry specific....

  
• 09.21.2021

  Securities and cannabis lawyer, David Feldman

  Brandon continues his tour of New York with another in-person interview! This episode is a must listen for those would be cannabis business owners in the state of New York.

  
• 09.14.2021

  Please call her the Queen of Cannabis - The Arcview Group

  Jeanne Mariani Sullivan a founding member of Arcview Ventures sits down with Brandon in New York City.

  
• 09.08.2021

  How cannabis brands can sell directly to customers - Ginger Commerce

  Roie Edery the founder and CEO of Ginger Brands sits down with Brandon to talk about enabling brands with new tools. This guy knows the business super well, you will learn a ton about the industry. Specifically how products move...

  
• 08.31.2021

  How to evaluate MSOs w/ Jushi Holdings

  Info packed episode this week with Trent, Chief Commercial Officer @ Jushi Holdings. As one of the bigger and well known MSOs, Trent has great perspective on how the industry and different markets are evolving. Awesome interview for any investor...

  
• 08.17.2021

  One for the potential cannabis investors

  Todays guest is Alexander Gastevich, the vice president of V. Gastevich Investments. They are a Chicago-based Family Office with decades of diversified investing and portfolio management experience. A great guest paired with some awesome questions from our host Brandon. You...

  
• 08.10.2021

  Prepare to nerd out about vertically-integrated cannabis

  In this episode we have Brian Ward, the CFO at Verano Holdings. They're a big deal in the cannabis industry. "Leveraging world-class genetics and industry-leading grow & process techniques, Verano creates artisanal cannabis products unrivaled in quality, consistency and experience. From...

  
• 07.27.2021

  A service Brandon uses every month - Flower Company delivery

  This week we have Ted Lichtenberger the co-founder of Flower Company. He thinks you should spent less money on cannabis and delivery. FLOWER CO. delivers top weed brands throughout the Bay Area, Los Angeles from Calabasas to Long Beach, Sacramento,...

  
• 07.13.2021

  A fresh take on infused beverages from an innovator

  CEO and Founder of Rebel Coast, Josh Lizotte is on the program. If you're curious to hear from the first brand to ever dare to infuse a wine, you will want to listen in this week. Marketing a cannabis brand is...

  
• 07.06.2021

  Ex Wall Street Investor now healthy cannabis foods CEO

  Scott Jennings makes cannabis food with healthy, guilt-free ingredients. Finding himself wanting more from the cannabis industry, Scott set out to build the company he wanted to see in the cannabis industry. That company is Pantry Food Co. Brandon and...

  
• 06.22.2021

  Ex-Twitter employee and possibly the King of Cannabis? Ben Kovacs

  Board Member & Executive Chairmen Ben Kovacs has several irons in the fire. Much of his focus is going to Next Green Wave where he is a board member. They have over 1 million square feet of permitted facilities...

  
• 06.17.2021

  Cannabis Software - CEO of Blaze

  Brandon sits down IN PERSON :) with CEO of Blaze, Christopher Violas. Based in Newport Beach, Blaze is a cannabis ERP technology platform specializing in track and trace/seed to sale technologies. Oh and BTW, they are hiring! The past year...

  
• 06.08.2021

  Marijuana Industry Trade Association of AZ

  Brandon sits down with Demitri Downing the Founder and CEO of MITA (Marijuana Industry Trade Association) Arizona legalization is new, but Demitri has been a part of the scene for years. Great episode of learnings and a peak into the...

  
• 06.01.2021

  Hacking the cannabis marketing problem with The Flower Agency

  Brandon has a detailed chat about the hurdles to marketing cannabis companies with Irfran the Co-Founder and CEO at The Flower Agency. They have some innovative ways to target and reach existing and potential customers. If you run a cannabis related...

  
• 05.19.2021

  Special guest host Jocelyn of Headset sits down with Sam of the ADA

  Special guest host Jocelyn Sheltraw of Headset is at the Arizona Cannabis Executive Golf Tournament. She has a quick chat with Samuel Richard Executive Director of The Arizona Dispensaries Association protecting and advancing the ecosystem of regulated cannabis across the...

  
• 05.12.2021

  Arizona Cannabis Executive Golf Classic

  Brandon is in AZ this week talking with Brian Yauger the CEO of Lemonhaze. They bring together thousands of people from the industry by providing, executive golf tournaments, budtender events, education, conventions, industry reports and more.