Last month, Snoop Dogg (whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.) announced that he had invested in a Swedish fintech company. The American singer, rapper, record producer, television personality, entrepreneur and actor purchased a stake in Klarna Bank, in order to expand his tech investment portfolio.
Snoop Dogg’s venture capital firm, Casa Verde, is best known for adding cannabis companies to its portfolio. As countries around the world begin to change their perception of the drug, cannabis is proving to be one of the hottest sectors to invest in.
Several European countries have decriminalised the use of the drug for recreational purposes. Though not legalised in the UK for recreational use, the British government has made certain exemptions that allow specialist GPs to prescribe cannabis for medicinal purposes.
Legislators across the pond, however, seem to have gotten there earlier. In Canada, the use of medical cannabis has been permitted since 1999. Whereas in the United States, cannabis for medicinal purposes is legal in 29 states.
Snoop Dogg’s firm Casa Verde boasts a variety of companies that are active in the cannabis sector.
Metrc is a company first deployed in December 2013 for the State of Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. It is a track and trace system that provides end to end tracking and tracing of marijuana plants and products. This allows production to maintain compliance with applicable laws.
The next company, Dutchie, advertises itself as “the easiest way to order cannabis products from the best dispensaries near you”. Operating as an on-demand cannabis delivery service, the platform allows users to place an online order of the highest cannabis products, pick it up or have it delivered within an hour.
Following on is the biopharmaceutical company, Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies. The company aims to combine cannabinoid medicine with scientific research and drug development. By searching for a deeper understanding of how the drug works, Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies hopes to investigate further the medical potential of cannabis to apply to a range of different therapeutic areas.
Next is Green Bits, a company that merges cannabis with fintech. Green Bits aims to provide cannabis retailers with an easy-to-manage platform through its development of a point-of-sale product.
Moreover, Trellis is a seed-to-sale management software that assists in the cultivation process of cannabis production. The inventory management software allows producers to maintain compliance.
Moving into the cannabis media sector Merry Jane is a media platform that advertises all things cannabis. It allows users to locate their closest dispensaries, whilst updating them on the latest sector news. Additionally, another cannabis media company that has a place in Casa Verde’s portfolio is Miss Grass. Miss Grass has an online magazine section and an online shop that allows users to purchase a range of CBD products.
The Casa Verde portfolio isn’t limited there. Green Tank is a company that offers vaporizer hardware, purpose-built for cannabis oils. Equally, Vangsters has a presence on the portfolio, the cannabis industry’s largest hiring platform. Cannalysis, the accredited analytical cannabis laboratory that services Southern California, is also present. As is the largest online marketplace for wholesale cannabis, Leaflink, and Eaze, the cannabis e-commerce and delivery platform.
According to Crowdcube, Cannabis firms are one of the most likely to be funded in 2019. Can you see yourself investing in the sector?
