Private Archives - Green Market Report

StaffOctober 22, 2019

With the world in dire need of sustainable solutions to secure the future, hemp has understandably become one of the most valuable options for the job. As hemp is set to be a global commodity with economic prospects that even Wall Street is drooling over, innovation in this market is key. One start up has tackled an area for hemp that is arguably one of the smartest to focus on at the moment: Hospitality. The total retail value of the global hotel industry was projected to cross $500 Billion in 2018. The Total revenue of the hotel industry in the USA alone was projected at $200 Billion for 2018. So, introducing hemp to this industry could be a game changer. This is what the San Francisco based company MoonCloth Designs has decided to do.

Today MoonCloth Designs announced the launch of ‘MOMENT’, a Hemp Wellness Collection focused on bringing more eco-friendly hemp-based bath + body products to market.

“We are driven to bring hemp into the sustainability spot light as an eco material solution. We started off working with hotels and spas to provide more sustainable solutions to their environments. We are now launching our own hemp wellness collection which showcases are beautiful hemp robes and hemp seed oil body products, which is now available on our online store and select retail partners,” explained Founder & CEO Sarah Harf.

Working with boutique and luxury hotels and hospitality brands like Soho House, Design Hotels, and Sensei Resorts, MoonCloth Designs is redefining the meaning of the word “wellness” by crafting elegant and sustainable solutions to hospitality environments, including custom hemp textiles design services and hotel room/spa amenities.

“By designing sustainable solutions using hemp, we can find beautiful and luxurious alternatives to synthetic body products, plastics, textiles, and positively change the future of our environment,” says MoonCloth Designs CEO & Founder, Sarah Harf. “Hemp seed oil and hemp fabric are great eco materials that allow us to create natural experiences without sacrificing design aesthetic.”

The critical component to MOMENT is the robustly regenerative plant hemp. Hemp purifies the soil of toxins like nitrogen and selenium, restores nutrients into the ground, and can sequester 1.62 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton harvest. Fibers made from hemp are anti-microbial, hypoallergenic, and free of synthetic materials and microplastics. Hemp seed oil is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation and cell growth. It is also naturally hydrating and regulating the skin’s oil production.

“Our hemp-based products have tons of natural benefits for our bodies and our environment,” adds MoonCloth Designs Co-Founder Kelsi Lavicka.

Rooted in the daily practice of self-care and a love of natural beauty, MOMENT invites people to weave grounding moments into their daily lives by taking home the spa experience and aims to show the world that sustainability and high-end luxury are not mutually exclusive.

The MOMENT wellness collection includes a multitude of luxurious hemp-inspired products, such as:

Moon Glow Oil – This potent and luxurious oil delivers long-lasting moisture for smooth and supple skin. Offering an abundant dose of antioxidants and high levels of omega’s; this synergistic blend of Hemp Seed Oil, Calendula and Rose is calming and regenerative, leaving you luminous.

Sacred Space Mist – A spritz for higher spirits, this transformative facial mist is equal parts skin tonic and mood regulator. Brimming with the potent yet calming beneﬁts Hemp, Lavender, Patchouli and Clary Sage, this plant remedy will tone and brighten the skin and refresh your aura.

Tradition Hemp Silk Blend Kimono – Devoted to the long-time use of hemp and Japanese bathing culture, this hemp silk robe is luxury at its best. Uniquely blended with hemp and pure silk, free of harmful synthetic and polyester materials. Soft to the touch, this robe has a lightly weighted feel creating a beautiful shape as it falls against any body type. Other hemp robes in the MOMENT collection include natural hemp terry robe and a hemp fleece robe for men and women.

In the MOMENT Kit + Hemp Cosmetic Bag – A complete hemp wellness package. The In the Moment Kit – Hemp Cosmetic Bag contains: 1 Meditation Oil in 10ml, 1 Moon Glow Oil in 30ml, 1 Sacred Space Mist in 30ml, 1 Restful Warrior Hemp Silk Eye Mask. All you need to take a pause and begin again. This kit features each item from the MOMENT collection, offering you a fully holistic experience. Designed to feed your skin, soothe your senses and keep you grounded on the go. Perfect for travel and whenever you need to focus and reconnect.

With every MOMENT kit purchased, they are given 25% as a donation to ANIWA, a non profit event, produced by the BOA Foundation. ANIWA is focused on indigenous-lead projects including strategic land buy back, restoration of native ecosystems, reforestation, cultural exchange and sustainable living solutions. Hemp as regenerative plant that is a great solution for deforestation. Hemp produces more paper per acre than any other commercial forest .

StaffAugust 1, 2019

Jamie Warm is the CEO and Co-Founder of Henry’s Original. Despite the young age of the legal industry, Jamie has only had one career: growing cannabis. At Henry’s Original, his responsibilities include setting the overall strategic vision of the company, driving retail penetration and nurturing the financial health of the company.

Jamie started his career working at Santa Barbara’s first dispensary while attending college at UCSB. Over two years he learned the process of cultivation, before opening his own dispensary and running that for over a year. In 2007, Jamie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from University of California Santa Barbara. After college, Jamie sold his dispensary and used every dollar he had to buy a cannabis farm in Laytonville, California, located in the heart of Mendocino County, the wild, rugged heartland synonymous with the new cannabis green rush. That farm set down the roots of what today is known as Henry’s Original, one of the largest flower companies in California. Handcrafted in small batches, every Henry’s Original whole flower jar and pre-roll product purchase gives back to support California farming communities.

Title: Chief Executive Officer

Company: Henry’s Original

Years at current company: 4

Education profile: BA @ University of California Santa Barbara

GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A –

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: Interestingly, cannabis has been my only professional career. I’ve never earned a dollar professionally outside of this industry.

Company Mission: Henry’s Original strives to provide the highest quality cannabis flower and pre-roll products from Mendocino County.

Company’s most successful achievement: Henry’s has become one of the largest flower companies and #2 pre-roll brand in California, according to BDS Analytics. Beyond that, it’s owning the legacy of Heritage Cannabis cultivation in Mendocino County and supporting the community in the process of transition from grey market to legal market.

Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Yes. We’ve completed 3 rounds of funding to date. $1.6M in seed, $4M in Series A and $11M in Series B.

Any plans on raising capital in the future? Yes, there are certainly plenty of projects and opportunities to grow our business and brand that would benefit from a capital raise.

Most important company 5 year goal: Henry’s Original will continue to provide the highest quality cannabis products from Mendocino County. We see our unique opportunity to take Mendocino County cannabis products into the national and global supply chain. Federal and State regulations will determine what course of action Henry’s Original will take to get there.

StaffJuly 25, 2019

Leafwire, the largest cannabis business network worldwide, announced today the closing of a Seed Round for $1 Million. Since its launch, Leafwire has grown rapidly, often with over 1,000 members visiting the platform daily. Leafwire currently boasts more than 16,000 members currently and is projected to surpass 25,000 members by the end of the year.

Along with their Seed Round announcement, Leafwire has also announced the launch of its new Marketplace feature which will allow for expanded business networking and partnership opportunities for the industry.

“We built Leafwire to create a safe place where cannabis business professionals can connect, share ideas, find employees and find investors, something that is taken for granted in other industries,” explained CEO Peter Vogel. “ Cannabis is a unique industry and we built Leafwire for that reason; to serve the needs of all cannabis industry professionals.”

The Leafwire Marketplace will act as a robust cannabis business directory with 50+ categories ranging from Legal Services, Payment Processing, Domain Names to Packaging. This cannabis-friendly directory is designed for and based on Leafwire member requests, where everyone can find and connect with the exact cannabis services they’re looking for.

Leafwire’s Seed Round of $1 Million includes investments from Network Ventures, Silverleaf Venture Partners, KEY Investment Partners, and One East Partners.

Jordan Youkilis, Founding Partner of KEY Investment Partners, expressed his confidence in the platform, “We became investors in Leafwire, because even in their early stages they have been an invaluable source of deal flow for us. Leafwire has helped to connect us with dozens of dynamic entrepreneurs we wouldn’t have otherwise met. We expect the value provided by Leafwire to continuously increase.”

Speaking on his personal success on Leafwire, Greg Cowan, Investor and Business Consultant at Greenleaf HR, shares, “I was amazed at how quickly networking on Leafwire paid off in a short period of time. Within the first couple of months, I read an article posted by one of my connections that described banking challenges experienced by a CBD manufacturer and retailer. I took a leap of faith and cold-called the person in the article and two weeks later I had an executed Client Services Agreement. Keep in mind, this is a person whom I would have never known about had I not been networking on Leafwire that morning.”

In addition to the Marketplace, they also expect to launch one of the largest cannabis job boards in the industry in the coming weeks. The job board has been the most requested feature by Leafwire members, from both companies looking for employees and job-seekers.

StaffJuly 16, 2019

With one of the largest cannabis technology fundraises completed to date, Jane Technologies, Inc., a retail software company that created the first and largest online cannabis marketplace, has announced it has secured $21 million in Series B funding.

The I “Heart” Jane team is the company behind the first cannabis e-commerce marketplace expands to keep up with global demand for retail cannabis products sold online.

This latest round of funding, led by new and returning investors, will allow Jane to expand its online marketplace to international vendors, bolster its data analytics platform, and deliver data to other industries. The funds will also enable Jane to continue to advance its e-commerce platform of more than 150,000 products with real-time integration into point-of-sale systems.

In October 2018 Jane announced $6 million in Series A funding, which enabled the tech company to grow its technological advances and data analytics while providing consumers an optimized shopping experience. The company is currently in partnership with more than 700 stores across 21 states.

As the cannabis industry continues to rapidly expand, Jane’s internal data has demonstrated people spend double on online purchases than in-person. Today people who purchase CBD spend 50% more than those who do not. Research also shows the online cannabis shopper will spend an average of $206 a month compared to the offline shopper who spends only $122 a month.

“We’ve seen Jane effectively support some of the largest retail clients in the country and are pleased to partner with the software innovator so they can grow exponentially,” said lead investor Nick Deans of Pakala Jane Partners. “The online retail marketplace allows Jane to promote local businesses and increase sales with larger shopping cart purchases while keeping transaction costs down.”

Ian Dominguez of Delta Emerald Ventures sees significant value creation opportunity in Jane’s consumer-centric data. “Jane’s purpose-built platform will continue to drive operational improvement for the cannabis industry. In addition, the Jane platform translates across many industries, making Jane as a whole, the future of omnichannel data.”

“Within the rapidly evolving cannabis space, Jane’s insights as the largest facilitator of e-commerce in the industry are invaluable to its partners, particularly for brands seeking to establish and position themselves within an increasingly crowded marketplace,” said Jason Adler, Managing Partner of Gotham Green Partners. “This investment provides resources for building additional infrastructure and proprietary interfaces to help cannabis businesses worldwide to maximize their potential.”

Jane Technologies Founder & CEO, as well as U.S. veteran, Socrates Rosenfeld stated that “in a world dominated by major multi-national online retailers, we’re bringing together innovative technology to support local businesses, and connecting customers to wellness benefits in their region.” He also explained that “expanding to global markets is key for Jane as we continue to pioneer the industry and grow an industry-leading team. By helping cannabis companies in the U.S. and overseas, we are localizing the online sales process by bringing together dispensaries, brands and consumers through automation.”

StaffJuly 11, 2019

Antonio Frazier is the Director of Operations at CannaSafe, the first ISO licensed cannabis lab in the world and the leading marketshare holder in California.

Het met CannaSafe President, Aaron Riley, while playing football together at Furman University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree; he also holds a B.S. in Materials Engineering from Clemson.

Frazier began his career as a Nuclear Quality Engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority, certifying and verifying final construction of nuclear components. He then moved to aerospace engineering, performing quality assurance for the foundry, testing lab, heat treat, and special finishing departments for SKF USA (Baltimore).

Antonio enjoys using his industrial, public safety focused skillset to forge the standards of a burgeoning industry; cannabis is just a huge bonus. He’s an English Premiere League fanatic (Chelsea), married with two sons, and resides in Los Angeles, California.

GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A –

Full birth name: Antonio Frazier

Title: Director of Operations

Company: CannaSafe (https://csalabs.com/)

Years at current company: 2 years

Education profile: Antonio played football at Furman University with Aaron Riley, current president of CannaSafe. He wanted a degree in engineering, but Furman didn’t have an engineering program, so he ended up driving between both schools for two years and received 2 B.S. degrees – one from Furman University and the other from Clemson University in Materials Engineering.

https://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/091009aaa.html

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: Reducing foundry scrap by over 25%, and therefore saved SKF USA over $100,000 per month on material waste. This lead me to win the 2015 SKF Excellence Award, a global recognition within the company. This was done by implementing new SOPs and six sigma practices, which lead to much better on delivery time of final parts and helped increase moral throughout the company.

Company Mission: To set the standard in cannabis science and ensure patients have safe access to medicine.

Company’s most successful achievement: Becoming the first ISO 17025 certified cannabis lab in the world. CannaSafe is now currently the market share leader for California compliance testing.

Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Yes, but not publicly.

If so, how much?: N/A

Any plans on raising capital in the future? Our team has not decided on this as of yet.

Most important company 5 year goal: To have multiple locations across the country, and to help establish Federal industrial hemp (CBD) testing requirements.

StaffJuly 10, 2019

Jill Ellsworth is founder and CEO of Willow Industries, Inc., which provides state-of-the-art, ozone-based technology for post-harvest microbial decontamination. Upon launching Willow Industries in 2015, Jill’s aim was—and remains—to protect consumers and patients by helping producers put clean, safe product on the market.

Willow’s technology has proven to reduce yeast, mold, bacteria, mildew, E.Coli, and other dangerous pathogens, all while protecting the medicinal properties of the plant. The introduction of the WillowPureSM system to the market has provided growers a solution to passing newly set state regulation standards.

Fueled by her passion for innovation and dedication to healthier living, Jill is a vocal advocate for the cannabis industry’s adoption of FDA-like standards and proactive promotion of safety measures.

Jill serves on the Cannabis Health and Safety Advisory Committee for the City of Denver and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a Master’s of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science.

Prior to launching Willow Industries in 2015, Jill founded Vibrant Earth Juices (VEJ), a cold-pressed organic juice company, in 2010 and later parlayed VEJ into a beverage distribution company.

In 2013, Jill was named Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Emerging Business by the Santa Barbara Women’s Economic Ventures group. Most recently, Jill was selected by Marijuana Business Daily as one of their 2019 Women to Watch in Cannabis. She has also been honored by cannabis lifestyle magazine, GreenDorphin, as one of the 20 Most Influential Women in Cannabis and Industry Leaders Magazine as one of the Influential Businesswomen in the Cannabis Industry.

GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A –

Full birth name: Jill Lynn Ellsworth (Maiden: Latham)

Title: Founder / CEO

Company: Willow Industries, Inc. (https://willowindustries.com/)

Years at current company: 3.5 years

Education profile:

BS Communications – California State University, Northridge

MS Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Science – California State University, Northridge

Dietetic Internship : Registered Dietitian – Cal Poly San Louis Obispo

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: I am most proud of the cold-pressed, organic juice business, Vibrant Earth Juices, I founded and launched in Santa Barbara, CA in 2011 and Denver, CO in 2013. Vibrant Earth was one of the first fresh juice companies in Santa Barbara and Denver and quickly became very successful. From this, I was named Female Entrepreneur of the Year – Emerging Business in 2013. This was the start of my vision to develop innovative products and/or solutions for consumers.

Company Mission: Willow Industries strives to be the cannabis industry’s most reliable and innovative solution for producing clean, safe cannabis that consumers can trust.

Company’s most successful achievement: Willow’s most successful achievement was innovating a solution to a huge problem in the industry – microbial contamination. While we were very ahead of our time when we first launched Willow, we remained focused and patient, knowing the industry needed to catch up to our vision and what was important to the future of the industry. Staying the course and not giving up before the industry understood our value is our most successful achievement. Now with many cultivators adopting our tech, we continue to focus on our vision and goals.

Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Yes

If so, how much?: We have raised $2 million.

Any plans on raising capital in the future? Certainly. We have very aggressive and aspirational goals that will lead us to the need for more financing. Right now, we are focused on executing our plans for the most recent funding round.

Most important company 5 year goal: We look for Willow to become a standard for consumer safety in the cannabis industry (modeling safety standards from the food & beverage industries) and for cultivators to see Willow as the solution for clean cannabis. We are focusing our efforts on cannabis compliance and helping to educate the regulatory sector of the industry as well. We will continue to push the boundaries for clean cannabis innovations, while keeping consumer safety at the focal point of our goals.

StaffJuly 9, 2019

Erin Gore is founder and CEO of Garden Society, a California-based, cannabis-focused benefit corporation serving women in search of new, more holistic ways to rejuvenate from the rigors of their daily lives. Garden Society creates artisanal confections and sun-grown pre-rolls that connects biodynamic farming, sustainable ingredients and strain-specific cannabis in a variety of products.

Garden Society stems from Erin’s personal journey of striving to find balance in her life, as both a mom and entrepreneur, and being surrounded by women feeling the same pressures. Alongside her business partner, Karli Warner, the company is built on their shared passion to encourage women to explore non-traditional ways of managing pain, anxiety and stress relief, as well as relaxation and joy via cannabis– all a means of providing a better quality of life.

Three years since founding, Garden Society is now a flourishing, well-rounded cannabis wellness brand poised to reach and help women across the state of California enrich their lives with safe and clean cannabis.

Erin is an active member of the Northern California cannabis community, and frequently speaks on the topics of cannabis and entrepreneurship. She’s a fearless advocate for women-owned cannabis businesses, and equally dedicated to breaking the stigma and rewriting the script around the plant. With a degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Erin is also fluent in the science-based talk of cannabis and production.

Prior to Garden Society, Erin worked with her husband Tom on their joint venture with Constellation Brands on Tom Gore Vineyards, an award-winning farmer’s wine. Before the wine business, she had a decade-long corporate career at Henkel, where she managed a global adhesive business valued at nearly $100 million. Her time at Henkel provided a solid foundation in leadership, development, and achieving exceptional financial results.

GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A –

Full birth name: Erin Kay Gore

Title: Founder/ CEO

Company: Garden Society

Years at current company: 3

Education profile: BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis:

My most successful accomplishment at my previous company was having the career path I did, on my terms, with the colmenation winning Business of the Year. I was faced with a lot of challenges and adversity throughout my career being one of the few women in my division within the technical and business units of a chemical CPG company. I worked hard to build excellent EQ to overcome these challenges, and create opportunities for myself by intentionally managing up and being a good team player.. I excelled at every opportunity I earned through listening, creativity, being coachable, hard work and grittiness to get the job done. Right before I resigned, I won Business of the Year with my team. I thought back to the first position I had at the company, and was so proud of how intentional I had been using every difficult situation to help me grow as a leader and employee, and also to demonstrate how diversity of age and gender can be an asset to every team.

Company Mission: Garden Society is a benefit corporation creating a sisterhood of women in search of new, more holistic ways to rejuvenate from the rigors of our daily lives.

Founded in Sonoma County by Erin Gore and Karli Warner in 2016, Garden Society offers high quality cannabis-infused confections and sun-grown flower pre-rolls that connect biodynamic farming, sustainable ingredients and strain-specific cannabis in a variety of products. Garden Society edibles and pre-rolls are intended to be enjoyed responsibly to relieve pain, alleviate stress, and enable each of us to live our lives more fully. Our goal is to help everyone find a ‘Fresh Perspective’ in the joy that cannabis brings to our everyday lives!

OUR MANIFESTO: We are girlfriends, wives, moms, sisters, bill-payers, breadwinners, caretakers and peacemakers. We are multi-taskers, with a huge passion to pursue all this world offers. We are a sisterhood of like-minded women. We are pioneers, in search of new, more holistic ways to rejuvenate from the rigors of our daily lives. We seek new ways to regain perspective—and constantly look for ways to make the ordinary, extraordinary. We are NOT superwomen, but we ARE amazing. Welcome to Garden Society.

Company’s most successful achievement: To be in a position post July 2018 where we are continuing to build a strong brand presence and scaling so quickly that we have to raise capital to propel our growth to its potential. Also, that we’re really helping people find a better life for themselves. I’m so inspired by how we help people and so proud of what we’ve built.

Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Yes

If so, how much?: Initial Investment in 2018 of $1.3M.

Any plans on raising capital in the future? Yes, currently fundraising to continue to propel our fast growth.

Most important company 5 year goal: In 5 years, we will continue pushing towards our vision of becoming one of the most positive, powerful and trusted global cannabis brands for women, with quality products that matter to both consumers and partners.

StaffJuly 8, 2019

Born and raised just outside of Philadelphia, Jeffrey D. Welsh began his career on the performance side of the entertainment industry. Following undergraduate studies at The Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut, Mr. Welsh moved to Los Angeles to pursue his first love as a professional saxophonist while earning a Masters of Music degree from the University of Southern California. After several years of recording for television and film, as well as touring internationally, Mr. Welsh decided his skill set would be best served on the business side of the entertainment industry, and headed to Pepperdine Law School in Malibu, California in 2010.

It was at Pepperdine where Mr. Welsh met Luke Stanton and began his foray into the legal cannabis community, entrenching himself into California corporate formation and criminal defense in both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties during law school and into his first year of professional practice.

In June of 2014, Jeffrey accepted a position in Corporate Business Affairs at the largest talent agency in the world, William Morris Endeavor, now WME | IMG, while simultaneously continuing to work in the legal cannabis industry part time. In this unique position, Mr. Welsh’s goal was to develop an understanding of the nuanced entertainment industry while concurrently connecting entertainer-advocates with projects and groups actively working in the cannabis space. Mr. Welsh was able to develop relationships with some of the most visible entertainers under WME representation, and is currently facilitating deals for several of those entertainers in the legal cannabis industry.

In an effort to return to his musical roots, Mr. Welsh moved to the Personal Appearance Department at WME in February of 2015. In that same month Mr. Welsh co-founded the Frontera Law Group with Luke Stanton, and joined Frontera full time in July of 2015. Through aggressive networking and an unrelenting desire to be the first mover in the cannabis to entertainment/media space, Mr. Welsh fostered an extensive network with the current and future tastemakers of the entertainment industry to facilitate deal flow between these two industries.

In April of 2017, Mr. Welsh co-founded a full-service creative agency, Composite, with Cody Tesnow, Charles Hayes, Duco Muller, and Luke Stanton. Composite helps guide and grow brands in the legal cannabis industry, and specializes in creative & content production, marketing research & strategy, and product development.

By navigating this unique path, Mr. Welsh is sensitive to specific legal issues involved in entertainment and cannabis coming together, such as intellectual property, endorsements, licensing, criminal and civil liability and other business and legal considerations. Mr. Welsh and Frontera have been recognized as national

thought leaders in the cannabis industry by Entrepreneur Magazine (named as one of the Top 100 Cannabis Leaders in 2018), and by MG Magazine (named as one of the Top 50 companies to work for in the cannabis industry in 2018).

Music has always remained a tremendously positive outlet of creativity for Mr. Welsh, and he continues to utilize that passion for creative expression by performing live saxophone and DJ sets as frequently as possible in the greater Los Angeles area.

GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A –

Full birth name: Jeffrey Dennis Welsh

Title: Co-Founder of Frontera, Co-Founder of Composite

Company: Frontera Law Group, Composite Agency

Years at current company: 5 years at Frontera, 2.5 years at Composite

Education profile:

University of Hartford – Bachelor of Music, Saxophone Performance – Graduated May 2007

University of Southern California – Master of Music – Graduated May 2009

Pepperdine University School of Law – Juris Doctor – Graduated May 2013

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: In college I became the first saxophonist to ever win the Van Rooy Competition, which is the largest monetary undergraduate music competition in the United States. I was fortunate enough to also perform a United States premier of Takashi Yoshimatsu’s Cyber-Bird concerto for saxophone and full orchestra. At USC, I performed with both the Hollywood Bowl and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras.

Company Mission: Frontera’s corporate mission is to provide invaluable strategic advice for companies in and around the cannabis industry through an ecosystem of cannabis thought leaders in an effort to expedite and facilitate successful and sustainable cannabis businesses.

Composite’s corporate mission is to elevate brands into a legal and universally respected cannabis industry that contributes to the well-being of society.

Company’s most successful achievement: For Frontera, I am most proud of the fact that we are the largest cannabis focused law firm in the State of California, both in terms of number of clients represented (over 300) and in size of our staff.

Frontera have been recognized as national thought leaders in the cannabis industry by Entrepreneur Magazine (named as one of the Top 100 Cannabis Leaders in 2018), and by MG Magazine (named as one of the Top 50 companies to work for in the cannabis industry in 2018).

Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): No

Any plans on raising capital in the future? For Composite yes, for Frontera as a law firm we are unable to take on growth capital.

Most important company 5 year goal:

For Frontera – to continue organically expanding our bandwidth, and our ecosystem of partners in an effort to maintain preeminence in California.

For Composite – to have at least 2 brands that we created in-house be acquired!

StaffJuly 5, 2019

Matthew (Matt) Karnes has over 25 years of diverse finance and accounting experience. Prior to founding GreenWave Advisors LLC, Matt worked in equity research focusing on the Radio Broadcasting and Cable Television industries for First Union Securities. Matt also covered Satellite Communication at SG Cowen and in addition, worked with the top ranked Consumer Internet analyst at Bear Stearns & Co – this team was consistently recognized by the Institutional Investor’s “All America Research Team”. As a sellside equity analyst, Matt authored and co-authored numerous emerging industry research reports including such names as Google, Sirius, XM Satellite Radio, DIRECTV and EchoStar Communications.

Matt was also Principal and Senior Equity Analyst at Bull Path Capital Management, a New York City based hedge fund, where he was responsible for investment strategies of emerging technologies primarily within the Technology, Media and Telecom sectors. Prior to his career on Wall Street, Matt held various finance and accounting positions at PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Deloitte as well as at Texaco Inc. where he worked throughout the U.S., Europe, The Caribbean and Asia. Additionally at Chase, Matt was responsible for implementing the bank’s corporate accounting policies on commodity, interest rate and foreign currency derivative products. Matt graduated from Fordham University with an MBA in finance and earned a B.S. Business Administration with a double major in accounting and finance from Miami University (OH). Matt is also a Certified Public Accountant.

GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A-

Full birth name: Matthew Alan Karnes

Title: Founder

Company: GreenWave Advisors (founded in 2014)

Years at current company: 5

Education profile:

Miami University – Oxford, OH: B.S. Majors, Accounting and Finance

Fordham University – NewYork, NY: MBA International Finance

Certified Public Accountant – New York State

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: There is not one single accomplishment that stands out as the “most successful”. I have had the privilege of working with the best and brightest throughout my career with a success story each step of the way. Starting with my tenure as an auditor at a “Big Four” accounting firm to the experience gained as an equity analyst at a Bulge Bracket investment bank, there have been many accomplishments but realized mostly through team work.

Company’s most successful achievement: As the industry gets ready to explode, we have much more to accomplish. Given my background in accounting/auditing, as well buyside and sellside equity research, GreenWave is uniquely positioned to provide unbiased, independent financial research and analysis. In this regard, and with 5 years now under our belt (GreenWave was founded in 2014), we are better able to read between the lines, connect the dots and ask the probing questions. With so many uknowns that loom, we provide a differentiated service offering with our brand established as the “go to” resource for investors.

Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): No

Any plans on raising capital in the future? Not at the present time

Most important company 5 year goal: Stay tuned.

StaffJuly 1, 2019

Vern Keenan is a new market visionary and serial entrepreneur. A graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Bio-Medical Engineering, Vern established his career as a technical and networking Director at Genentech and Oracle corp, before becoming an entrepreneur. During the Internet boom, Vern made a name for himself as one of the foremost analysts for eCommerce with his firm Keenan Vision. Vern later started Berkeley Logic, a tech services and consultancy focused on the small to medium sized business market. From there, Vern started Telnexus LLC, a VOIP services telecommunication company. Vern developed and implemented the telecom tax calculation engine for Telnexus that was the precursor to the Taxnexus cannabis tax compliance solution.

GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A –

Full birth name: Vernon Keenan, III

Title: CEO

Company: Taxnexus, Inc.

Years at current company: 1

Education profile: Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering (BSc) from Northwestern University

Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: Global tech analyst

Company Mission: Make tax compliance easy for all cannabis taxpayers

Company’s most successful achievement: Monetizing the only cannabis tax regulation database in the world!

Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Not yet

Any plans on raising capital in the future? Currently raising a $1M round on a $5M-pre SAFE suitable for angel investors or seed-stage funds

Most important company 5 year goal: Wow, five years…be the nexus for all things tax!

Older Posts

The Daily Hit: November 14, 2019

Prices Are Declining as Cannabis Market Struggles

In other news

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The Daily Hit: November 13, 2019

Private Archives - Green Market Report

MoonCloth Designs Launches Eco-Friendly Hemp Based Bath & Body Line ‘MOMENT’

Executive Spotlight: Jamie Warm, CEO and Co-Founder of Henry’s Original

Leafwire Wraps Up $1 Million Seed Round and Launches New Marketplace

Jane Technologies, Inc. Closes One Of The Largest Cannabis Technology Raises At $21 Million

Executive Spotlight: Antonio Frazier, Director of Operations for CannaSafe

Executive Spotlight: Jill Lynn Ellsworth, Founder & CEO of Willow Industries, Inc.

Executive Spotlight: Erin Gore, Founder & CEO of Garden Society

Executive Spotlight: Jeffrey Welsh, Co-Founder of Frontera Law Group & Composite Agency

Executive Spotlight: Matthew Karnes, Founder & CEO of GreenWave Advisors

Executive Spotlight: Vern Keenan, CEO Taxnexus, Inc.

The Daily Hit: November 14, 2019

Prices Are Declining as Cannabis Market Struggles

Canopy Rivers Stock Falls As Income Drops

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