Cannabis Unlocked

In this episode of #CannabisUnlocked, Tiby Erdely sits down with Frederico Gomes of ATB Cormark Capital Markets to discuss why this moment in cannabis feels materially different than prior reform cycles - and why investors may finally be approaching a new institutional capital cycle. Frederico has covered the cannabis sector for more than seven years across U.S. MSOs, Canadian LPs, retailers, and...

In this episode of #CannabisUnlocked, Jordan Youkilis sits down with Bill Kirk, Managing Director at ROTH Capital Partners, to discuss what institutional capital markets are waiting for before they move meaningfully into cannabis and why the investment window may finally be opening. Bill's path to cannabis started by working at a dispensary while pursuing professional baseball. After retiring,...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Jordan Youkilis sits down with Nasos Makriyiannis , President of The KOMAND Group , to discuss the evolution of the global cannabis market and why Europe is quickly becoming one of the industry’s most important long-term opportunities. Nasos shares his path from healthcare consulting into cannabis M&A and explains how KOMAND Group became one of the earlie...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Jordan Youkilis sits down with Jared Maserk , CEO of Baked Bags , to explore the rise of digitally native hemp brands and the challenges of building in an uncertain regulatory environment. Jared shares his journey from cannabis sales in the early days of cannabis to becoming CEO of Baked Bags, a hemp brand that has scaled rapidly by leaning into social media,...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Jordan Youkilis sits down with Elliot Lane , President and Co-Founder of Igniteit Inc , to discuss the evolving role of media, events, and investor education in the cannabis industry. Elliot shares his unconventional path, from studying music and acting in New York to ultimately entering the cannabis world through Benzinga. What began as an effort to build in...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Jordan Youkilis is joined by Adi Divgi , Founder and CIO of Divino Global Holdings , for a thoughtful discussion on manager selection, and what it takes for institutional investors to engage with emerging asset classes like cannabis. The conversation begins with Adi's 20+ year history in financial services, spanning institutional allocation, private insur...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Jordan Youkilis is joined by Steve Robinson , Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire , for a sobering conversation on organized crime and how cartels have abused the complexities of cannabis regulations to flood the market with illicit product. The conversation begins with Steve tracing his career as a journalist, to uncovering a sprawling network of illegal cannab...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Tiby Erdely sits down with Brian Kuo, an operator-investor with a rare mix of Big 4 rigor and “in the trenches” cannabis experience, and a new Investment Partner alongside KEY in MM Brands - to talk candidly about what actually drives success in this industry. Brian shares his unconventional path from PwC and academia into cannabis, including the moment he rea...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Jordan Youkilis is joined by Joe Bayern , newly appointed CEO of MM Brands Inc. , following their acquisition of BellRock Brand’s portfolio. Joe shares his career path from consumer packaged goods and beverage turnarounds to senior leadership roles across cannabis, including taking Indus Holdings public and scaling Curaleaf through its most aggressive growth...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Chris Colón, CEO of Highway Cannabis, joins KEY Founding Partner Jordan Youkilis to unpack how cycles, capital, and timing define success in cannabis retail . Chris shares how he went from scaling fast-casual concepts like Smashburger to launching Highway Cannabis. The conversation covers how Chris sees states cycles over time sharing where smart M&A play...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Andrew Davison, CEO of Long Play Inc, joins KEY Founding Partner Jordan Youkilis to share how he built a national cannabis brand with a true American icon, Willie Nelson. Andrew recounts his path from Crocs’ first CMO to launching Willie’s Reserve in 2016, following a four-day interview with Willie Nelson’s team. The brand has since grown from flower and pre-r...

KEY Investment Partners Webinar 11/25 : Rescheduling & Cannabis Investing Why now and why it’s exciting): The DOJ/DEA’s Schedule III process is underway, and rescheduling would be the biggest federal shift in cannabis policy in decades. What you’ll learn: What’s real, what’s next. A clear, investor-focused briefing on timing, process, remaining steps, and what Schedule III does and doesn’t cha...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Aaron Miles, Chief Investment Officer of Verano Holdings , joins Jordan Youkilis, Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners, to share his path from publishing into cannabis. The two dive into what makes Verano different from other cannabis operators.  Aaron kicks off with insights into the challenges of cannabis finance, attracting institutional capital, an...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Guy Rocourt (Founder of GR Consulting and Co-Founder of Papa & Barkley) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners) to talk about the evolution of cannabis product formulation, the history of legalization, and the power of plant medicine. The conversations starts with Guy’s journey into cannabis from the early days of Calif...

In this special edition of Cannabis Unlocked, KEY Investment Partners & Dykema hosted a Cannabis Round Table. Panelists included: Senator Bill Cunningham (D, IL-18, President Pro Tempore) Representative La Shawn K Ford (D, IL-8, and Candidate for Congress) Matthew Brewer, CEO & Co-Founder of Grasshopper Brandon Johnson, CEO & Co-Founder of TRP Co John Donovan, Government Policy Advisor...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Ernst Rustenhoven and Jake Kuczeruk of I Love Growing Marijuana (ILGM) join KEY Founding Partner, Jordan Youkilis, to explore the momentum behind the home grow movement. Ernst, an Amsterdam-based venture veteran and CEO, joins Jake, head of ILGM’s community growth program, to break down how ILGM has evolved from a “seed bank" into a full-scale educational pla...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Fred Gomez, Director of Institutional Research at ATB Capital Markets, joins KEY Founding Partner, Pete Karabas, to unpack what the latest data is telling us about U.S. and Canadian cannabis markets. Fred covers over 20 public cannabis companies across North America and shares what he believes investors should be watching, from upcoming MSO refinancing, to ong...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Keith Cich, Co-Founder and President of Sunderstorm, joins KEY Founding Partner, Pete Karabas, for a deep dive into building one of California’s most trusted cannabis edible brands. Keith shares his journey from Wall Street to weed, starting out as a bond trader before pivoting to cannabis with his Stanford classmate Cameron Clark to found Sunderstorm. The co...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Hugo Alves, Co-Founder and CEO of Auxly Cannabis, joins KEY Investment Partners Founding Partner, Tiby Erdely, for a conversation about building one of Canada’s most successful cannabis companies. Hugo shares his path from McDonald's employee to Senior Partner at Bennett Jones before taking the leap in 2017 to build Auxly. From there, they explore the com...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked: Joe Lustberg, Co-Founder of Upwise Capital, joins KEY Investment Partners Founding Partner, Jordan Youkilis, to unpack what’s happening in cannabis debt markets. The conversation begins with Joe’s background, from his origins in the New York cannabis scene to his entrance in direct lending, which eventually led him to build Upwise Capital. From there, Joe and...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Representative La Shawn Ford of the Illinois state Congress, and John Donovan, a lobbyist for Dykema join KEY Founding Partner Jordan Youkilis. In this conversation, Rep. Ford, Donovan and Youkilis discuss how the government of Illinois has shaped their cannabis legislation. They start the conversation covering the structure of the Illinois General Assembly i...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Jason Pickle (Founder of Volunteer Botanicals) joins Tiby Ederly (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners) to talk about the evolving role of cannabinoids in the consumer product space. The conversation begins with the launch of Volunteer Botanicals following the 2018 Farm Bill setting off pioneering cannabinoid intermediates. From there, Tiby and Jason di...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked , Ben Burstein, Corporate Development Manager at LeafLink, joins Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partner) to share his fast track into mastering industry research and M&A. Ben dives into the cannabis industry's biggest challenges, from lack of institutional banking and poor inventory management to limited investor readiness. From her...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Guy Rocourt (Founder of GR Consulting and Co-Founder of Papa & Barkley) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners) to talk about the evolution of cannabis product formulation, the history of legalization, and the power of plant medicine. The conversations starts with Guy’s journey into cannabis from the early days of Calif...

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Jason Beck (Founder and Host of High at 9 News) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners) to talk about running a cannabis news platform, the rescheduling to level 3, and the history of California's market. The conversations starts with Chuck's path into the cannabis industry, from a man with a pager to an early operator tell...