StaffOctober 4, 2019
Ingo Wilhelm Mueller has been involved in the finance and advisory business for the past 20 years, having raised over $200M in the last 10 years. Ingo has been instrumental in the formation and strategic management of numerous companies globally, through executive positions, directorships and advisory roles – many of which involved the structuring and financing of resource opportunities.
He has either founded, partnered in and developed or advised companies in a broad cross section of industry sectors as an entrepreneur and visionary whose primary focus has been to identify market gaps or opportunities in nascent industries or in established sectors and align them with funding, while supplementing existing management teams with well respected international advisors and board members to establish or refine the strategic objectives of the business.
His previous executive experience includes being the CEO of Wigu City Edutainment Centres PLC, London Mining PLC (Colombia), and International Coal Company Ltd.
Title: CEO
Company: Canivate Growing Systems Ltd.
Years at current company: 2.5
GMR Executive Spotlight Q&A:
Most successful professional accomplishment before cannabis:
Raising $200M (Cdn) funding over a 15-year period for companies in a range of sectors including natural resources and gaming
Company Mission: To create a new standard of Clean. Green. Pure. in the cannabis and hemp industries.
Company’s most successful achievement:
Canivate is set to disrupt the cannabis and hemp industries. Our proprietary facility design and automated growing system is aimed at redefining industry standards for cannabis and hemp cultivation.
The technology provides the potential to substantially increase yield per square foot, reduce operating costs, provide consistent quality, and decrease the environmental impact of traditional greenhouses and indoor facilities. It is also expected to result in significantly lower cost per gram on the market compared to conventional cannabis cultivation facilities.
Canivate’s automated growing system is focused on providing a solution to the problems of consistent quality, meeting consumer demand, reducing operating costs, increasing profitability, and lowering the environmental impact of cannabis cultivation.
Along with raising $14.3M (Cdn) to-date in funding for Canivate, executing on our business model for the first Canivate campus in Southern California as quickly as we have is a key achievement.
Our business model is unique. Canivate does not act as the cultivator – in fact, we never touch the plant. Canivate identifies market demand before locating and building a facility, and then the facility and growing system is leased to an exclusive independent operator (EIO) for each state, pursuant to lease and licensing contracts. The EIO will be licensed in its local jurisdiction to engage in cultivation activities and will manage the facility and growing system using the Canivate IP.
The EIO will work with commercial cultivators, while retaining control and management of the growing system process, allowing them to optimize yields and provide retailers with consistent, high-quality and environmentally friendly products. In addition, an offtake contract for each facility is put in place through the EIO and their commercial cultivators before it is built. This is done to provide high-profile brands – that have established distribution channels and retail outlets – with a consistent quantity and quality of product, which secures profitability for both the EIO and Canivate.
For Canivate’s first campus, there are currently signed offtake agreements in place with high-profile cannabis companies. The signed offtake agreements will produce estimates of a minimum of 6,500 kg annually for each growing facility. (These are low-end estimates – total expected production among signed agreements is 19,500 kg.) Offtake agreements are secured by a performance bond (purchase guarantee).
Has the company raised any capital (yes or no): Yes
If so, how much?: $14.3M Cdn
Any plans on raising capital in the future? Yes
Most important company 5 year goal:
Canivate is set to establish a new gold standard for cannabis and hemp consumption in the United States and Canada. We are committed to establishing an industry standard of Clean. Green. Pure. for cannabis cultivation and consumption.
