StaffOctober 23, 2019
Ben Larson, CEO of Vertosa: Calling upon his experience as a serial entrepreneur, investor, and startup adviser, Ben and the Vertosa team enable mainstream businesses to enter the growing cannabis industry by providing water soluble active ingredients to infuse beverages and other products. Previously, Ben co-founded Gateway, the premier cannabis startup accelerator based in Silicon Valley. Additionally, Ben is a Director and Mentor for the Founder Institute, where he formerly managed global operations and helped grow the program into over 100 cities around the world. He’s also active on several boards inside and out of the cannabis industry and travels the world for speaking engagements. Ben was recognized in the 40 Under 40 Class of 2018 by the San Francisco Business Times.
Title: CEO
Company: Vertosa
Years at current company: 1
Green Market Report Executive Spotlight Q&A:
Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis: Launching new businesses has been one of my greatest strengths throughout my career driven by my passion for helping fellow entrepreneurs realize their dreams. I am a serial entrepreneur and have a passion and indomitable appetite for building great products and teams. Before cutting my teeth in cannabis, I was the Director of Global Operations for the Founder Institute, where I helped launch over 100 startups locally, recruited and trained business leaders globally, and formed startup ecosystems around the world to spur economic growth outside Silicon Valley. I was instrumental in expanding the program into more than 100 cities around the world and on-boarded, trained and guided local leadership.
I’m still a Director and Mentor at the Founder Institute, and love working with entrepreneurs to shape the next generation of companies. I bring that same drive and industry knowledge to the cannabis industry, both through my portfolio I built with Gateway and the brands I work with every day at Vertosa.
Company Mission: Vertosa creates the most effective and reliable active ingredients for infused product makers. At the forefront of the booming cannabis beverage movement, our mission is to work closely with client needs to create stellar market-ready products that are ready to scale. Built on a rock-solid foundation of bioavailability, flavor, clarity, stability and safety, Vertosa is breaking the stigma and unlocking the truths of cannabis by making it accessible to all.
Company’s most successful achievement: Our state-of-the-art pre-suspended nanoemulsion technology is our founding achievement. Meticulously engineered to the specifications of every SKU to evenly disperse in water and remain stable no matter the conditions, our emulsions are not only the most stable you’ll find on the market, they’re also industry-leading in flavor and clarity and have an average onset of less than 10 minutes. We’re working with companies everywhere from early-stage startups to international beverage enterprises in both the cannabis and hemp markets.
Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Yes.
If so, how much?: We’ve raised $1.55M to date
Any plans on raising capital in the future? Yes. We have a big announcement coming in the next few weeks – stay tuned!
Most important company 5 year goal: As a leader in manufacturing bulk active ingredients for infused cannabis products, our goal is to be the trusted supplier worldwide and create the platform that allows brands to scale and create consistent experiences for their consumers. We will continue bringing great cannabis products into the mainstream alongside our partners of all sizes. The infused cannabis market is just getting started, and as the industry grows we’re making sure Vertosa is at the epicenter.
Debra Borchardt
