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cannabis industry

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Keshawn Warner Went From Being Arrested For Cannabis To Leading A Multi-Million Dollar Dispensary

A cannabis entrepreneur has shared how a tragic event from the past led him to lead a thriving company.

Ngozi Nwanji

Sep 18, 2023

Chris Webber Appointed To Lead New York's $200M Cannabis Social Equity Fund

It’s no secret that Chris Webber has been active in the cannabis industry. So, it comes as no surprise that the former NBA star has been appointed to lead a cannabis social equity fund. According to a press release, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has chosen Webber to aid in growing the city’s impact regarding cannabis.

Ngozi Nwanji

Jun 24, 2022

Method Man's Bringing His TICAL Cannabis Brand To Black-Owned Dispensaries, Including Al Harrington's Viola, In Michigan

Method Man’s TICAL cannabis brand has gone from being available at Denver, CO dispensaries to now, a new state. Benzinga reports that the rapper has joined Glorious Cannabis Co. to bring the brand to Michigan.

Ngozi Nwanji

May 18, 2022

Mike Tyson Launches Ear-Shaped Edibles Nearly 25 Years After The Infamous Boxing Matchup

What a way for a life experience to pay off in the long run! Complex reports that legendary boxer Mike Tyson has just launched his very own line of edible gummies through Tyson 2.0, the newly imagined cannabis brand created by the former heavyweight champion. The said gummies will be ear-shaped in honor of the iconic yet controversial 1997 heavyweight match between Tyson and Evander Holyfield in which he bit his opponent’s ear. Now, nearly 25 years since the match that was the talk of the town, Tyson noted via Instagram that “these ears actually taste good!”

Shanique Yates

Mar 16, 2022

Snoop Dogg's Casa Verde Capital Leads $4M Round For THC-Infused Snack Brand TSUMo Snacks

Snoop Dogg and cannabis are still going hand and hand. According to Dot.LA, the legendary rapper’s VC firm Casa Verde has backed TSUMo Snacks — a cannabis brand offering tortilla chips and cheese puffs infused with a 10-milligram dose of THC per bag — in a $4 million seed funding round.

Shanique Yates

Jan 28, 2022

How Village, A Cannabis Brand Backed By Al Harrington & Other Black Investors, Plans To Diversify The Industry

NBA star Al Harrington’s Village company is looking to diversify the cannabis industry. The cannabis world has seen tremendous growth, despite the alarming consequences the pandemic has infiltrated into the economy. According to a recent study, the cannabis industry has witnessed a growth of 50.92 percent in 2020 alone and the numbers are projected to increase to 32.04 percent within the decade. While this may be a celebration for some as marijuana continues to become steadily legalized in more states, the reality is minorities are not reaping the benefits. Village — founded by Al Harrington and Dan Pettigrew — is looking to change that by ensuring women and minorities will be at the forefront of the industry. MarketWatch reports, the company plans to become a multi-state operator distinct from its competitors and promote social equity in the cannabis industry. “The concept for Village is to work through the application process as well as through mergers and partnership, to develop...

Samantha Dorisca

Dec 22, 2021

Drake Invests In Cannabis Brand Bullrider, Becomes Co-Owner Alongside His Go-To Producer 40

News of rappers venturing into the cannabis industry has been making headlines very frequently as of late, and Drake is one of the latest to join with his new investment. The rapper is now an investor, partner and strategic advisor for Bullrider — a Toronto-based cannabis brand — according to a press release. Drake is joining his music partner in crime Noah “40” Shebib — who co-owns Bullrider — to “play a role in advising and helping with strategy as part of the brands mission to bring an unmatched cannabis experience to the North American market.” “I’ve always viewed 40 as the expert when it comes to cannabis so I’m very excited to invest, partner and contribute to setting a new standard for a premium cannabis experience,” Drake said in a press release. Bullrider is set to offer multiple high-grade strains, merchandise, retail and premium cannabis products. “At the heart of Bullrider is the convergence of street art, hip-hop and limited premium Cannabis product drops,” said CEO...

Ngozi Nwanji

Oct 18, 2021

Rick Ross To Launch Line Of Hemp CBD Smokables With Rap Snacks CEO James Lindsay

Rick Ross is the definition of a businessman, and his partnership with fellow entrepreneur James Lindsay, CEO of Rap Snacks, further cements his position in the business world. According to a press release, Rick Ross, Lindsay and Green Globe’s Hempacco will develop and manufacture Hemp Hop Smokables — a line of hemp smokables, rolling paper and functional hemp cannabinoid cigarettes. “I truly believe in the health benefits of Hemp derived products,” said Ross. “Having had my own health scares, and through my healing process, I decided I would develop a line of smokables to help others with the benefits of Hemp cannabinoids. Working with James Lindsay and Hempacco’s team, including Lue, Jorge, and Sandro, has been fantastic. We’ve already started developing the flavors as well as the look and feel of all the products.” Hempacco’s mission is to disrupt tobacco and the line aims to help push it further. “This is not my first consumer product. I launched Rap Snacks 27 years ago with the...

Ngozi Nwanji

Oct 18, 2021

Snoop Dogg's Investment In Cannabis Startup Dutchie Doubles Its Value To $3.75B

Snoop Dogg has built a history of being instrumental in the cannabis industry, and his latest investment helped in doubling the value of a cannabis startup. Bloomberg reports that Snoop’s venture capital (VC) firm, Casa Verde Capital participated in a Series D funding round of $350 million for Dutchie — a technology platform for cannabis dispensaries. The tech firm’s valuation is now $3.75 billion. The round was led by D1 Capital Partners and other participants included Tiger Global, DFJ Growth, Dragoneer, Gron Ventures and Thrive Capital, according to Bloomberg. The new funding comes in seven months after Dutchie raised $200 million, which brought their value to $1.7 billion. Now the tech platform’s value has doubled in less than a year. As previously reported by AfroTech, Casa Verde Capital has served as a leading VC firm in providing cannabis startups with funding. The VC firm has an extensive portfolio, and Dutchie is one of its prized investments. Its backed Dutchie since 2018...

Ngozi Nwanji

Oct 15, 2021

Jay-Z Invests In Flowhub, A Cannabis Tech Company With A Valuation Of Over $200M

Just last year, Hip-Hop billionaire Jay-Z made his grand entrance into the cannabis industry with the launch of Monogram, in partnership with Caliva, as AfroTech previously reported. Now, the billionaire is hungry for more as he embarks on a new investment in Flowhub — a cannabis technology company — a retail point-of-sale platform for dispensaries. The news broke on Oct. 12 as Flowhub closed on a $19 million round of strategic funding joined by Jay-Z and led by Headline and Poseidon, according to PR Newswire. The valuation for the company now totals nearly $200 million to date. “We are thrilled to announce this capital raise. Headline is an incredible Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, Poseidon is a pioneer investor in the cannabis industry and Jay-Z is a cultural and creative global force no matter the industry he is involved in,” Kyle Sherman, founder and CEO of Flowhub, revealed in a press release. “I couldn’t think of a better group to be working with as we take this...

Samantha Dorisca

Oct 12, 2021

Exclusive: Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler, John Monopoly Talk Ownership In Cannabis On Black Tech Green Money Podcast

Over the past year, we’ve seen an influx of Black entrepreneurs venture into the cannabis industry. People like Viola Brands’ Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler, and John Monopoly are among the businessmen that are ensuring that more people who look like us have ownership in the industry. As former NBA players turned businessmen, Harrington and Chandler wanted to ensure that their legacy went beyond just basketball. “I think the main thing was just educating myself toward the end of my career after I started to realize that I wasn’t jumping as high, I wasn’t as fast, I wasn’t as important to the league like I used to be. So, I had to figure out what was next,” said Harrington in a recent episode of Black Tech Green Money. Harrington, who recently announced the launch of the Harrington Insitute, a school for cannabis education, attributes that business mindset to his financial adviser. “I always give my financial adviser a lot of credit because throughout my career I’ve had great...

Shanique Yates

Sep 14, 2021

Uber CEO Confirms That The Ride-Sharing Company Could Soon Get Into Cannabis Delivery

Uber may soon be able to make a very special delivery. With states working to legalize recreational use of cannabis, the ride-sharing company wants in! “When the road is clear for cannabis; when federal laws come into play, we’re absolutely going to take a look at it,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi during an interview with CNBC Monday. Although marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug under federal guidelines along with ecstasy, heroin, LSD, and magic mushrooms, 16 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use. Currently, 36 states have legalized marijuana for medical use. For now, Uber wants its focus to remain on current delivery options with key categories such as food and alcohol. “We see so much opportunity out there, and we’re going to focus on the opportunity at hand,” continued Khosrowshahi. Just in the last month, New York, New Mexico, and Virginia have all legalized recreational cannabis for adults leading many to believe that federal...

Shanique Yates

Apr 14, 2021

Cannabis Industry Booms As Analysts Predict Merger and Acquisition Activity to Reach $2B in 2021

The cannabis industry continues to thrive! According to PR Newswire, the cannabis market ended 2020 with more than $600 million in deals. The success is expected to continue with an anticipated backlog of $2 billion in deals as 2021 continues. Factors like COVID-19 and election results that opened up five new states to legalize cannabis use and possible federal regulatory reform continue to boost prospects. Per the Cannabis Industry Journal, analysts predict that the U.S. cannabis market is positioned to double by 2025. “Growth is expected to be led by multi-state operators who have achieved scale, cleaned up their balance sheets, and stockpiled dry powder for roll-up acquisitions,” reads the article on the website. “Cannabis companies raised nearly $134 million in the two weeks before Election Day, a 185% increase over the same period last year. Most of the money flowed to multistate operators. In addition, the biggest stocks by market capitalization saw a roughly 20% bump ahead of...

Shanique Yates

Mar 23, 2021

JAY-Z, Roc Nation, Caliva, Left Coast Ventures Form The Parent Company, Close Largest Cannabis SPAC in History

The largest cannabis Special-Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) deal in history has closed thanks to hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. Along with this news, Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp. has announced the launch of The Parent Company with Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Caliva, Roc Nation, and Left Coast Ventures. Its qualifying transaction now makes The Parent Company, Former Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp., the largest vertically integrated cannabis operation in California. It also makes them the most well-capitalized cannabis company in the U.S. with the position to consolidate and reshape the market not only in California but worldwide. Jay-Z, The Parent Company’s Chief Visionary Officer, will lead brand strategy, and The Parent Company Social Equity Ventures, which is a corporate venture fund that invests in Black and minority-owned cannabis businesses. “This is an incredible time for this industry,” said MONOGRAM founder, Jay-Z. “The end of cannabis prohibition is here, and The Parent...

Shanique Yates

Jan 19, 2021

This Founder Created a Platform to Increase Diversity Within the Cannabis Industry

Inclusivity and diversity in the cannabis sector is now being made possible with the help of one Black founder. Founder of Uplift Maryland , Kevin Ford, created a platform that offers resources and training to create space for African Americans interested in getting into the medical marijuana field. After exploring the medical market in various legalized states, he discovered the need to streamline information around the process. He also aims to break down the stigma surrounding the cannabis industry and create a community for those interested. “Being a medical patient myself, I saw a void in the market for a clear source of information. I realized how complicated it could be to navigate the registration and certification process,” Ford said, according to Because of Them We Can. “With countless stigmas surrounding cannabis, I wanted to create a community where people are supplied with education, tools, and economic resources to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams in this very...

Shanique Yates

Sep 10, 2020