The Ganjapreneur.com Podcast

For entrepreneurs in the volatile cannabis industry, keeping up to date on the market is a must. Due to volatility and competition, being aware of changes in the market as they are happening can spell the difference between success and failure for a cannabis startup. Since there are few reliable sources of historical data on cannabis market trends before legalization, business owners need to make the most of the data that exists since legalization took effect. Headset, a business intelligence software platform for the cannabis industry, aims to help them do just that. In this special edition of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, our COO Noel Abbott sits down with Headset cofounders Cy Scott, Brian Wansolich, and Scott Vickers (who were also the original cofounders of Leafly) to talk about the data they have accumulated through point-of-sale systems in the Washington state cannabis market, including purchasing behavior among demographics, the shifting popularity of products on the market, who the market leaders ar

Matt Rizzetta is the CEO of North 6th Agency, a public relations firm based in New York City and Toronto that serves cannabis and mainstream business clients nationwide. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Matt joins host TG Branfalt to talk about the mainstream media’s evolving perception of cannabis, public relations strategies for companies in the cannabis space, the differences and similarities of cannabis compared to other industries, how education is the key to overcoming the plant’s stigma, and more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/matt-rizetta-leveraging-pr-grow-household-cannabis-brands/

Jon Vaught is the CEO of Front Range Biosciences, a cannabis agriculture firm based out of Boulder, Colorado that specializes in tissue culture cloning for the cannabis industry. Jon recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt for an interview that covers his early career in organic chemistry and agriculture science, Front Range’s successful seed round of investments, how the company is revolutionizing cloning methods for the cannabis industry with tissue culture technology, the regulatory and logistical challenges they have faced along the way, and more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/jon-vaught-cannabis-and-tissue-culture-cloning/

Eli Harrington is the co-founder and managing editor of Heady Vermont, a cannabis news outlet dedicated to Vermont's medical cannabis industry and culture, and host of the Vermontijuana Podcast. In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast interview, Eli joins our host TG Branfalt — who is currently a Vermont resident, as well — to discuss cannabis' entrepreneurial culture in Vermont and throughout the North Eastern states. The two also discuss Eli's organization efforts for Vermont's recent HempFest (and the event's many successes), talk about the endless possibilities of the industrial hemp revolution, swap stories about being cannabis journalists, and much more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/eli-harrington-embracing-a-small-business-cannabis-landscape/

Molly Peckler is the creator of Highly Devoted, a matchmaking service for cannabis professionals. In this episode of the Spark the Conversation podcast, Molly joins podcast host Bianca Green for a conversation at the 2017 Emerald Exchange in August. In this interview, Molly and Bianca discuss the founding of Highly Devoted — which began as a matchmaking service for cannabis professionals — and how it has evolved over time from a romantic matchmaking service to include corporate matchmaking, design consulting, and more for the cannabis space. They also discuss the importance of prioritizing social responsibility in the industry, the dwindling cannabis stigma, how education helps spread the normalization process, and more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/spark-the-conversation-molly-peckler-highly-devoted/

Neeraj Bhardwaj is President of Loto Labs, creator of the Loto Lux, the world’s first magnetic induction-based vaporizer. Neeraj recently came on the Ganjapreneur.com podcast to talk with our host TG Branfalt about the magnetic induction technology used inside of the Loto Lux, how the experiences of his family and his own desire for a healthier lifestyle set him down the path to establishing a new and improved vaporizer technology, the company’s successful crowdfunding campaign, staying the course through fallout from unforeseen difficulties, and much more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/neeraj-bhardwaj-creating-magnetic-induction-vaporizer/

Patrick Vo is the CEO of BioTrackTHC, a seed-to-sale software giant whose product can be found in dispensaries throughout the U.S. and beyond. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Patrick joins our host TG Branfalt for an interview about BioTrack’s early days in Florida and the company’s transition into the cannabis space, Patrick’s own journey as BioTrack’s first employee to eventually becoming CEO of the company, the company’s role and goal when they are consulted by government officials about seed-to-sale tracking systems, and the many benefits to be had by hiring a diverse and talented team of employees. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/patrick-vo-pioneering-seed-to-sale-systems-in-emerging-markets/

If you have ever looked up information about a particular cannabis strain online, there is a good chance you are familiar with the website Leafly.com. Leafly is one of the most widely-used and well-known web resources for cannabis enthusiasts and medical patients worldwide, and it has greatly influenced the world of visual design in the cannabis industry. The website was launched in 2010 by Cy Scott, Brian Wansolich, and Scott Vickers, three friends & coworkers who still had day jobs in the tech industry. Two years later, they sold the company to cannabis investment firm Privateer Holdings, and embarked on a new mission to provide cannabis entrepreneurs reliable information to help them better run their businesses. In this special edition of the Ganjapreneur podcast, our Chief Operating Officer, Noel Abbott, sits down with the three original founders of Leafly to hear about their experience creating the world's largest online portal for cannabis information, and how that experience helped them prepare to lau

Mehka King is a journalist, host of the Cash, Color, and Cannabis podcast, and the filmmaker behind The Color Green: Cash, Color, and Cannabis — a documentary investigating racial disparities in the cannabis space. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Mehka joins host TG Branfalt to discuss the evolution of popular media from print to online blogging to podcasts and video content, his experience documenting the cannabis movement, how celebrities — particularly hip-hop stars who have invested in the cannabis industry — could do more to speak up on issues with industry inclusion and fallout from the Drug War, and more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/mehka-king-power-grassroots-cannabis-media/

Jason Santos is the CEO of Burn TV, a video/music network that was founded to help bridge and eliminate the gap between cannabis culture and the mainstream media. In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast interview, Jason joins our host TG Branfalt to talk about his early forays into the cannabis industry, the important role that independent media groups play in this space, how cannabis is portrayed in the mainstream media — and how that affects cannabis enthusiasts and the movement as a whole — and much, much more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/jason-santos-normalizing-cannabis-through-video-music/

Hazel Fruitman is the CEO of Cannabis Wallet, a company that specializes in unique mobile marketing strategies and customer engagement for companies operating in the cannabis space. Cannabis Wallet offers a mobile wallet pass that can be added to a mobile device and gives companies the ability to interact with their customers in a more tangible and personal way. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/hazel-fruitman-cannabis-wallet-mobile-marketing-strategies/

Ben Ward is the CEO of Maricann, a licensed medical cannabis operator in Canada who recently announced their international expansion into Germany’s nascent medical marijuana industry. Ben recently joined Ganjapreneur.com podcast host TG Branfalt to discuss the intricacies and future of Canada’s cannabis industry, the recruitment of Maricann’s expert talent and executives, how using green technology has benefited the company’s cultivation facility, Ben’s thought process leading up to and throughout the company’s landmark expansion into Europe, and more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/ben-ward-expanding-internationally-with-maricann/

Danny Sloat is the owner of Alpinstash, a Colorado cannabis cultivator known for producing premium-quality cannabis with an emphasis on environmentally friendly growing practices. In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast episode, Danny joins our host TG Branfalt to talk about the importance of his company’s eco-friendly production process, the therapeutic value of growing your own cannabis plants, exciting research and cannabis cloning techniques that are being pioneered in Colorado, how the state’s cannabis marketplace has evolved over the years since legalization took effect, and more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/danny-sloat-alpinstash-self-healing-clean-cannabis-cultivation/

Vanessa Corrales is the founder of B-Edibles in San Diego, California, an infused edibles manufacturer that creates infused sugar products and is particularly well-known for offering medicated cotton candy. This Ganjapreneur.com podcast episode features Vanessa and our host TG Branfalt in a how being a medical cannabis patient led to her pursuing a career as a medical cannabis entrepreneur and how B-Edibles’ bubbly and colorful branding plays to her desire to express uniqueness and her own personality in the cannabis space. The interview also covers a brand new project that Vanessa has taken up that is aimed at bringing a modern education about medical cannabis and cannabis culture to native Spanish-speakers — and much, much more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/vanessa-corrales-infusing-edibles-brand-with-personality/

Alex Hoggan is the founder of ChemHistory, a cannabis testing lab based outside of Portland, Oregon. In this episode of the Ganjaprenuer.com podcast, Alex joins our host TG Branfalt to discuss the early days of Oregon's cannabis testing landscape, the intricacies of pesticide testing under Oregon's  strict testing rules, the regulatory switch last October that nearly drove the state's marijuana industry to a grinding halt, and other issues related to entrepreneurship and running a successful and respectable laboratory. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/alex-hoggan-staying-course-amid-changing-regulations/

Jon Gowa is the founder and CEO of Bloom Automation, a company in Colorado that is designing and creating robots to assist the cannabis industry. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, our host TG Branfalt and Jon discuss Bloom Automation’s participation in the Boulder Canopy startup incubator, the various robotic designs they have tested and found most effective, what role robotics may play in the future of the cannabis industry, and more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/jon-gowa-bloom-automation-robotics-in-the-cannabis-industry/

Dave Peck is the Chief Marketing Officer for KIND Financial, a business offering seed-to-sale software technology to help cannabis companies stay compliant in the evolving marketplace. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, TG Branfalt hosts Dave for an interview just two short weeks after he left an executive position with PayPal to join KIND’s pioneering journey in cannabis compliance. In the interview, the two discuss Dave’s early impressions of the cannabis industry, the historical evolution of social media, how cannabis companies should change their marketing strategies based on which platform they are using, the importance of data collection and self-reflection when running an online marketing campaign, and more. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/dave-peck-adapting-social-media-marketing-strategies-cannabis-space/

Alejandro Canto and Jesse Leach are, respectively, the owner and general manager of Diego Pellicer in Washington. Diego Pellicer is a retail cannabis location in Seattle licensed under Washington’s adult-use, I-502 cannabis market. In this podcast interview, Alejandro and Jesse join our host TG Branfalt to talk about the spirit of entrepreneurialism, the planning and execution of a powerful brand identity, creating customer satisfaction in a cannabis retailer position, how rare and luxury offerings can drum up excitement among consumers, and more. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/diego-pellicer-washington-creating-affordable-luxury-cannabis/

Eric Gomez is the CEO of Canopy San Diego, a San Diego-based startup incubator for tech companies who are focused on serving the cannabis space. Eric recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt to discuss the current climate for investors who are looking to get started in the cannabis industry, understanding the difference between making safe vs. disruptive investments, international investment opportunities as new medical and adult-use markets pop up around the globe, and much, much more! For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/eric-gomez-canopy-san-diego-cannabis-startup-incubator/

Stephen Gold and Andy Yashar are co-founders of The Daily Leaf, a technology company that has partnered with dispensaries to find and list the best cannabis deals throughout Oregon cities — with plans to expand to Seattle, Las Vegas, and beyond. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Stephen and Andy join host TG Branfalt to talk about the technology aspect of the cannabis space, launching a tech startup on a minimal budget, the importance of creating and maintaining a company image, and how — by focusing the efforts of a small, dedicated team — they have been able to create a truly effective service that benefits cannabis companies and consumers around their state. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/stephen-gold-andy-yashar-the-daily-leaf/