Thinking Outside The Bud

Keith Cich is Co-Founder and President of Sunderstorm, a leading California cannabis company that manufactures and distributes award winning Kanha gummies. Sunderstorm self-distributes to over 500 retail locations throughout California and is a pioneer introducing nano-tech products to the cannabis industry. Mr. Cich spent more than a decade on Wall Street in fixed income sales and trading for Mer...

Nick is the cofounder of Sojen, a workday wellness company whose mission is to bring more joy to the world’s 3 billion working people. Nick worked at Goldman Sachs for 4 years and was amazed by the lack of alternatives to caffeinated and sugary beverages to keep his mood up while working long hours. With his cofounder Caleb Putrich, Nick created Sojen, a science-backed formula of hemp, French pepp...

Kaelan has been in the New York hemp industry since 2015 as the founder of Sovereign Vines: America’s Only Hemp Infused Wine and Castetter Sustainability Group (CSG), receiving the first issued hemp processor license in 2017. As CEO, he has developed CSG as a leader in helping New York hemp companies, and farmers navigate the complex supply-chain, regulations, and compliance on a state and nationa...

Jonathan has worked as an analyst at Comvest Partners, a majority buyout focused Private Equity firm with $4 billion under management, where he was responsible for identifying, originating, and qualifying new investment opportunities. Jonathan graduated with a degree in Finance from the University of Florida. Jonathan has reviewed more than 1,000 cannabis investment opportunities since 2018 and is...

In the middle of Central Valley, where plants abound while jobs are sparse, Sister Kate was determined to create work and leadership opportunities for more women like her. She looked to the newest, most interesting deregulating market in her new home state of California: the cannabis industry. In the Fall of 2009, she founded a non-profit cannabis collective and opened for business in 2010. Here,...

At just 18, Michelle was one of the first females to provide IT and field radio support to a Special Operations Command in the Navy. Being the only female in what is probably the single most male-dominated community proved to be an invaluable experience that tested and strengthened her mental and physical boundaries. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abo...

Matt Hawkins is the founder and managing principal of Entourage Effect Capital (EEC), formerly known as Cresco Capital Partners, a venture capital firm focused specifically on investing in the legalized cannabis industry. Since 2014, the firm has made close to 70 investments invested out of two funds, co-investment vehicles and special purpose entities. Prior to the founding of EEC, he was a partn...

A senior finance executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience in entrepreneurial firms. Background features expertise in finance, financial reporting accounting, corporate finance, budgeting, financial modeling, and mergers and acquisitions. A cross-functionally oriented leader and team builder with a proven track record supporting operations. Offers added perspective developed throu...

Punit is a seasoned strategy and operations management executive with 10+ years of experience and specializations in program management, strategic planning, operations management, people management, coaching, executive communication, human resources management, and turnaround/transformation management. Punit has worked for and advised notable organizations across several industries including: Brid...

Dr. Berger co-founded Sciadonics, Inc. to commercialize SCI and other special fatty acids, with the goal of reducing our rampant chronic inflammation. As SCI can be used alone or in combination with- other nutritional oils (such as fish oil), anti-oxidants, and drugs, to combat chronic- and diverse forms of inflammation and associated symptoms (pain, discomfort, etc.), the market opportunity is en...

Hadas is an Israeli-American attorney who advises companies on matters of regulatory compliance, policy advocacy, risk management, strategic planning, revenue models, corporate governance, and dispute resolution. A committed creative problem-solver, Hadas is a restorative justice practitioner and community organizer dedicated to using the law to expand equitable access to plant medicine. She is th...

Graham is the President and Chief Cannabis Officer of Glass House Group, one of the most rapidly growing, privately-held cannabis and hemp companies in the country, and Founder of Glass House Farms, perhaps the largest greenhouse operation in California. He was part of the original team at Software.com, taking the company public in 1999, and one of the first employees at Sonos, where he was involv...

Cynthia is also the Founder of the cannabis industry’s newswire and entrepreneur tech suite, AxisWire, as well as the luxury brand House of Saka. She is also the Co-founder of Green Market Media which is currently most recognized for its cannabis finance news publication Green Market Report and its conference series Green Market Summit as well as a Co-founder of the network Industry Power Women. H...

Autumn Shelton is partner and Chief Financial Officer of Autumn Brands, a 50 percent woman-owned cannabis business located in sunny coastal Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County, California. A calculated risk taker with an outstanding aptitude for numbers, Autumn champions the health and wellness benefits of cannabis and is committed to cultivation free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals. In he...

Jonathon Goldrath is a successful entrepreneur and investor who moved away from the traditional finance world and into the legal cannabis industry in 2016. His experience in the cannabis industry started as an operator - winning one of Pennsylvania’s first twelve cannabis Grower/Processor licenses in 2017. Jonathon went on to co-found a number of cannabis businesses that have been some of the firs...

Shawn Gold is Founder and CEO of Pilgrim Soul, a mission-driven cannabis brand focused on optimizing human creative performance to gain a competitive edge in business and life. Until recently, Shawn was CMO of Lowell Herb Co., one of the fastest-growing, most talked about cannabis companies in North America. He has been an advisor to other leading cannabis brands including MedMen and Charlottes We...

Zev began his involvement with industrial hemp in late 2012 shortly after Colorado became the first state to fully allow farmers to grow this versatile crop. He created and was the founding Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Hemp Association and then the National Hemp Association, from 2013 to the end of 2016. He has developed a national network of farmers, extractors, processors, equipment...

Matt Kurtzman, a seasoned data scientist and founder of Canold, is an expert in predictive modeling and data visualization focusing on the cannabis industry. With a formal education in supply chain management and accounting from Northeastern University, a lean six sigma black belt certification from Staples, and management consulting experience from Boston Consulting Group, Matt and his team at Ca...

Jason Pickle is a passionate, forward thinking cannabis entrepreneur with a keen sense of market evolution. Co-Founding Volunteer Botanicals, he sees the future potential of non-psychoactive cannabinoids as a key driver to the acceptance of the cannabis plant. Jason and his team are focused on converting and reconstituting cannabinoids and terpenes into dynamic delivery forms that are precise, eas...

Russell Huxhold is the owner and operator of HuxHemp CBD Apothecary located in Lakeview (3101 N. Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL). HuxHemp opened in July 2018 as he followed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 moving through the House and Senate. Russell understands that the true medicinal value of cannabis is the different cannabinoid and terpene levels, so he set out to find the best 100% USA-grown...

April Pride co-founded The High Guide with Ellen Scanlon in 2019. A serial creative entrepreneur, April spent time in the worlds of architecture, fashion, and design before finding her way to cannabis. In 2016, she launched Van der Pop, a woman-focused brand offering stylish accessories to store, smoke, and share cannabis. April soon realized the need for education and quickly added an education d...

Elizabeth started her career in the alcohol industry in 2004 and made the switch to Cannabis packaging and branding in 2015 when she Co-Founded a Cannabis specific design studio with Jason Foraker. After participating in over 100 Cannabis brand launches, Elizabeth and Jason decided to launch a broadmarket Cannabis brand of their own called Fog & Tree. Fog & Tree was the brain-child of the...

Jeffrey Welsh is a partner at Vicente Sederberg LLP, where he focuses his practice on advising companies, brands, entertainment and media properties, other law firms, and investors on how to navigate the California cannabis marketplace. Prior to joining VS, Jeffrey worked in Corporate Business Affairs at the largest talent agency in the world, William Morris Endeavor, now WME | IMG, while simultan...

Frenchy Cannoli is a California-based teacher, consultant, artisan, and activist dedicated to the production and appreciation of traditional cannabis concentrates. Frenchy grew up in Nice, France but left home as soon as he could, inspired by the promise of exotic adventure — and by the imported hashish common in late-60s Europe. He lived nomadically for over twenty years, staying with traditional...

Dahlia Mertens is the founder and CEO of Mary Jane’s Medicinals, one of the leading cannabis topicals companies in the country. Dahlia established her company in 2009 and was one of the very first brands to create cannabis infused topical products. With a passion for the healing properties of cannabis, and a holistic approach to well-being, Dahlia has been using a natural whole-plant infusion proc...