pitch contest Archives - Green Market Report

Video StaffApril 10, 2018

CNvest held its first conference in San Jose, California and awarded a $10,000 prize to the pitch contest winner The Peak Beyond. The Peak Beyond is a developer of interactive smart tables for cannabis retail spaces.

What makes the tables unique is the intelligent object-recognition capabilities and integrated point of sale system. A customer can place any product from the store’s display inventory onto the table, follow clickable pathways to learn more through text and video, and purchase items on the spot.

The goal is to provide consumers with the educational benefit of a digital patient consultant with the pleasure of enjoying a self-guided museum tour. While the technology can be applied to any retail market, This company seeks to capitalize on the California legalization movement to prepare for the surge of new consumers who may not be informed about the industry or its products.

StaffFebruary 12, 2018

Startup companies in the cannabis market still have time to apply to CNvest to compete in a pitch contest similar to the types of competitions held at tech conferences like Tech Crunch’s Disrupt. The cannabis companies are also competing for a chance to win $10,000.

CNvest will select 16 investment-worthy startups to present to an audience of investors at the spring forum, co-located with the Terpenes and Testing World Conference, the most comprehensive cannabis science expo in the United States. Companies will be judged by a panel of cannabis market influencers and media, with finalists selected by a panel of cannabis investors and business analysts. Standardized scoring will be used to fairly determine which companies have the greatest potential to succeed in this explosive market.

There’s still time to apply. Applications must be received by midnight Pacific Time, Friday night, February 16, 2018. Applications are open to:

US or Canadian startups in the legal medical or recreational cannabis market
Founded on or after January 1, 2015
Have raised at least $50,000 (US) from one or more accredited investors
But have not yet raised more than $1.5 million
And have not yet closed a Series A funding round

The CNvest Advisory Board includes leading investment professionals from the cannabis market:

Princessa Bourelly, venture partner at Gateway Venture Capital & Accelerator
Steven Ernest, executive vice president of investments at MAZAKALI
Michael Gruber, managing partner at venture capital fund Salveo Capital
Bill Kelly, partner at private equity fund AgriCascadia
Jud Lang, president at Ground Zero Ventures
Jeff Siegel, publisher of Green Chip Stocks and editor of Wealth Daily

“I’ve attended many cannabis investor events, but CNvest’s fresh approach includes mentoring and presentation skill building, as well as helping all companies that go through the selection process get a marketing benefit,” said CNvest Advisory Board member Jeff Siegel, and investment advisor and Wealth Daily editor. “For many of these entrepreneurs, CNvest will be their first time representing a business in front of an audience, and presenting to sophisticated investors requires proper messaging and polish. The CNvest team is expertly positioned to provide the level of guidance these startups will need, helping ensure all CNvest participants receive maximum value from the event.”

After the last pitch is over, investors attending the event will have a ballot to vote for their favorite pitch. The winner of that vote will receive $10,000.

CNvest: Terps and Tech will be held at the Hilton San Jose at the McEnery Convention Center on April 9, 2018.