Building a Cannabis Startup

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2018 was a landmark year for the cannabis industry: California, Vermont, Oklahoma, Canada, and Mexico all deregulated marijuana, making it more widely accessible.

With deregulation, entrepreneurs and investors have made the cannabis space a hotbed of innovation, attracting the attention of press, lawmakers, investors, and consumers. Global funding to cannabis companies reached nearly $2.2B (a new record high for this emerging industry).

On June 26th, 4 of these frontier entrepreneurs will join us to discuss what inspired them, how they determined the right business model and how they've grown their business thus far. We'll also hear about the unique challenges of the space, from legal and regulatory complexities to the residual stigma of cannabis.

We’ll also discuss

• Designing & prototyping your product
• Marketing for cannabis products
• Adhering to rules & regulations
• Fundraising options for a cannabis startup

About the panelists

• Ryan Smith is the Co-founder & CEO of LeafLink, the cannabis industry’s standard platform for orders, sales and relationship management. LeafLink has $14 million in venture capital from investors including Lerer Hippeau and Nosara Capital. The platform went live in Colorado in March 2016 and now has more than 2900 retailers placing orders for over 950 brands across 19 territories. In 2016, Ryan was the first CEO of a cannabis-facing company to be listed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. In February 2018, LeafLink was the first company in the cannabis space to make Fast Company’s 2018 list of Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Enterprise. Prior to co-founding LeafLink, Ryan successfully founded and exited two companies, one of which he sold to an NYSE public firm.

• Benjamin Witte is the Founder & CEO of Recess, a consumer wellness company creating CBD infused functional beverages and nutraceutical products to help people feel balanced in an increasingly stressful world. While working at Life Capital, Witte began to experiment with CBD, as he has always been hyper, wired and overwhelmed with the stresses of everyday life. CBD (oil) helped Witte feel more balanced, creative, happier and productive - but he had a problem with the delivery method...placing the product under the tongue simply wasn’t the most delightful experience.

• Beryl Solomon is the Founder & CEO of Poplar, a platform that offers curated CBD products with expert insights on how they work, what they do, and ultimately, how it will benefit specific health and wellness needs. Prior to founding Poplar, Beryl served as the CEO of STATE bags. Under her leadership, revenue grew more than 100% YoY.

• Robert Tankson is the Co-founder & COO PrestoDoctor, an online medical cannabis recommendation service based out of California that puts patients in contact with cannabis-friendly doctors in California, Nevada, Oklahoma, and New York. All evaluations are conducted online via a secure video chat for an easy, discreet, HIPAA compliant process. Prior to PrestoDoctor, Tankson worked as an analyst for both technology and finance companies.

• Moderated by Melisse Gelula, the Co-Founder of Well+Good, a leading health and wellness digital media company with a community of 12+ million monthly. She is also the Senior Vice President of Brand of Leaf Group’s Fitness & Wellness Division. As a wellness media expert, Melisse has led the editorial, branded content, design, and video teams at Well+Good. She was named one of the 9 Most Creative Entrepreneurs of 2018 by Inc Magazine and one of the 10 Writers and Editors Who Are Changing the National Conversation by Adweek. She has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, in the New York Times, given two keynotes at the Global Wellness Summit, and more.

6:30 - 6:50: Drinks & Networking
6:50 - 7:50: Panel
7:50 - 8:15: Audience Q&A
8:15 - 9:00: More Drinks & Networking