Plant Prophets

Urban-Gro with Mark Doherty, Executive Vice President Of Operations. Urban-gro, Inc. is a leading engineering design services company that integrates complex equipment systems into high-performance indoor cannabis cultivation facilities around the world. By combining its design and integration services, industry-leading suite of cultivation equipment and crop management products, and proprietary technology solutions, urban-gro provides integrated solutions for today’s commercial cannabis cultivators to efficiently manage and optimize their cultivation operations.

Infused Cannabis Cocktails with Kat Hantas, Co-founder & CEO and Nicole (Hantas) Emanuel, Co-founder and CFO of 21 Seeds. 21Seeds was started by three women who wanted to create an all-natural, fresh, fruit-infused Blanco Tequila that wasn't too sweet, reflective of what they, and all of their friends, like to drink. First, they discarded any and all Tequila cliches introducing their fun, optimistic and empowering point-of-view. They then concocted three signature, deliciously Infused with Cucumber Jalapeño, Grapefruit Hibiscus, and Valencia Orange.

Ball Family Farms with Chris Ball. Ball Family Farms flower is hand-crafted from the finest raw and organic nutrients. Cultivated with meticulous attention
to detail, each component of our genetics is pheno-hunted, developed and produced in-house to the most precise standards. Ball Family Farms currently offers premium in-door flowers as well as hand-rolled glass tip pre-rolls. Their ready-to-smoke pre-rolls are made with Ball Family Farms premium flower. Chris started in the illicit market, went to jail, paid his dues, and then got the golden ticket - a social equity cultivator's license. Now he's built a family business that will build generational wealth for himself and his family.

The first Cannabis private equity fund with Codie Sanchez of Cresco Capital Partners. Cresco Capital Partners is the first Cannabis private equity fund. Codie is a reformed journalist, turned institutional investor to now a Managing Director and Partner at Entourage Effect Capital, a private equity firm focused specifically on investing in the legalized cannabis industry. Since its inception in the summer of 2014, EEC has deployed $100+ million into over 40 companies out of its two dedicated funds and co-investments.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) is the only exchange in Canada providing trading and market information services for all domestically listed instruments. Recognized as an exchange by the Ontario Securities Commission in 2004, the CSE is designed to facilitate the capital formation process for public companies through a streamlined approach to company regulation that emphasizes disclosure and the provision of efficient secondary market trading services for investors. The exchange is home to more than 230 issues covering a broad range of industry sectors.
Verdemed is a Canadian pharmaceutical cannabis company whose goal is to improve the health of millions of patients in Latin America. Based in Toronto, Canada, Verdemed’s multi-level and multi-market approach aims to bridge the gap between the European and North American cannabis pharmaceutical landscape and Latin American unmet clinical needs.
Leafwire exists to help usher in the new cannabis economy by educating and connecting the entrepreneurs and investors that will build this industry. 29 states and the District of Columbia have now legalized cannabis for medical and/or recreational purposes and public acceptance of cannabis continues to increase at a rapid pace. Cannabis has also shown encouraging signs as a treatment for various medical conditions and ailments, which should make the space of interest to investors and business enthusiasts. While cannabis remains federally illegal in the United States and publicly-traded cannabis companies are located overseas, it has grown to a $9 Billion industry in the U.S. and all estimates have it growing above $24 Billion over the next few years.

iAnthus has a mission is to create the most valuable cannabis brands and a network of cannabis operations and distribution nationally. Cannabis will be the next great transformative industry. Not just because it has the power to change people’s lives – especially those suffering from chronic ailments – but also because it will impact many other industries, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals to alcoholic beverages. Their goal is to give investors diversified exposure to this rapidly evolving opportunity through their vertically integrated licensed businesses in major markets across the U.S. We speak to Beth Stavola, the chief strategy officer and director at iAnthus.

Artemis Holdings are venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, consultants, financiers, scientists, and board directors of public and private companies. They are a bridge to the future of the cannabis industry while being mindful of the past. Artemis brings best-in-class companies to you. They believe that a thriving cannabis industry benefits the health and wellness of humanity. They also invest in exceptional teams that have the vision and, with their support, ability to create truly great companies.

Jessica Billingsley and Samantha Ford at The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference. Our first guest is CEO of the first cannabis compliance technology company to be traded on Nasdaq making her the first CEO from this market to bring a company to a major U.S. exchange. She has recognized for Fortune’s “Most Promising Women Entrepreneur Award,” is also recognized as one of Inc.’s “Female Founders 100,” and was chosen for Entrepreneur Magazine’s inaugural 100 Powerful Women list. Jessica Billingsley has served as MJ Freeway’s Chief Executive Officer since April 2018. She co-founded MJ Freeway in 2010 and served as President from 2010 to April 2018. Prior to MJ Freeway, Jessica was CEO and founder of Zoco, a technology services firm with clients across the United States. Next, we talk to Samantha Ford of Protis Global. Samantha is all about the hustle. She is sharp, fun and quite exceptional at most things she puts her mind to. She’s been in executive search for over 20 years. She successfully built a search practice in the 90’s placing high-level equity professionals with top wall street firms nationwide and ultimately became one of the top search professionals in the brokerage industry. Needless to say, she knows her way around people, business and numbers. What more could we ask for? After spending a month in Nepal, she decided to leave the corporate world and go out on her own where she continued to focus on wall street.

Innovative and trans-formative beverage brands with Jack Belsito Managing Partner at First Beverage Ventures. Our guest brings more than 30 years of experience in the beverage industry, having held senior executive positions with Cadbury Schweppes including as president of Snapple Distributing Company, president of Mott’s USA and president & CEO of Snapple Beverage Group. He is now a managing partner at First Beverage Ventures which invests in innovative and trans-formative beverage brands, helping beverage companies grow and stand out in a dynamic and competitive industry.

Cannabis Prestige with Michael Huttner, CEO of Powerplant Strategies; Managing Director, Investment Banking at Young America Capital. Michael is a corporate and political strategist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur. He has helped launch over 40 different political organizations and has led communications ‘war-rooms’ for political and private clients. Michael also is the Founder of ProgressNow, a network of state-based communications organizations that moves people to action through communications and digital media. They have more than 3.4 million members in 23 states. Prior to his private practice, he worked as Policy Advisor to Former Colorado Governor Roy Romer and clerked at the Clinton White House for the Office of the Counsel to the President. As CEO of Powerpoint Strategies, he manages a team comprised of smart, inventive professionals with years of expertise in the cannabis industry who honed their skills at Fortune 500 companies, agencies, The White House, entertainment firms, tech and startup companies, advocacy organizations, and at political campaigns. Huttner is also a longtime friend of Governor Jared Polis, for whom Huttner managed several campaigns before Polis ran for governor.