The cannabis industry can be a bit of a slippery slope for Black founders. However, when you have The Parent Company on your side, the opportunities can be endless.

Jesse Grundy has been a businessman since a young age and has always been fascinated by the cannabis plant and the ways in which it can make the lives of others better. 

“I’ve always had a deep love for cannabis,” he said in an exclusive interview with AfroTech. “My dad was a grower. So, I was always around the plant from an early age. When I first heard about the fact that cannabis was going legal, Oakland had something that they were going to try to do called the social equity program that would be able to bring in people like me.”

After applying and becoming one of the first people accepted into a first-of-its-kind social equity program, Grundy was on his way to learning how to successfully run a cannabis business. Now, his company Peakz has launched a first-of-its-kind cannabis non-fungible token (NFT) brand alongside The Parent Company.

The Love Connection Between Cannabis & The Culture

Soon, Peakz will launch its first digital cannabis dispensary, which also features an exclusive line in partnership with hot names in Hip-Hop that include Young Nudy, Trina, E-40, and more!

“I think music plays a great role,” said McBride, who was named as the managing director of The Parent Company’s Social Equity Ventures, as previously reported by AfroTech. “It developed the culture that we know today. Music is a part of our everyday life, especially for Black and brown folks. So, cannabis is very much like whatever we like, or we don’t like ending up in our music. We’re feeling whatever we’re vibing to and the connection is so strong because it’s who we are just like cannabis.”

She continued: “Out here in California, especially in the Bay Area, we talk about it, they rap about it, writing love songs to it — it’s ingrained in our culture.”

Bridging The Gap

Much like the relationship between music and cannabis, the role that technology plays within both industries is the ultimate love affair.

With Peakz, Grundy aims to help bridge the gap between technology and cannabis.

“Peakz is becoming a hybrid company,” he said. “So, it’s not just cannabis. We’re also moving into the Web3 and Metaverse space, and the first thing we’re doing is releasing digi-strands, which will be 10,000 different digital cannabis collectibles.”

Most times when people purchase cannabis, they just consume it and throw away the packaging to never see it again. With the new initiative by Peakz, consumers will be able to hold onto something that’ll last forever.

Listen to the full conversation on AfroTech Live Thursday, Jan. 27 @ 3 p.m. on Blavity TV.