Member Spotlight: Cannabase

In this month’s NCIA Member Spotlight, we speak with Jennifer Beck, co-founder and Managing Director of Cannabase, a wholesale cannabis marketplace and technology dashboard. Cannabase is headquartered in Denver, serving more than 75% of marijuana licenses in Colorado, with plans to expand nationwide in 2017.

Cannabase

Cannabis Industry Sector:
Wholesale Distribution, Technology

NCIA Member Member Since:
2014

Tell me a bit about your background in cannabis and why you launched Cannabase?

Cannabase co-founders, Chase Beck and Jennifer Beck

When my husband, Chase Beck, and I co-founded Cannabase, we had a background in technology and a passion for cannabis. Not only were we amazed by the incredible science surrounding medical marijuana, but we also believed that cannabis was a much healthier alternative to alcohol for general adult-use purposes. The idea of being part of an emerging industry – helping to shape the framework while increasing its validity and chances of survival – was a really exciting idea to us.

What unique value does Cannabase offer to the cannabis industry?

Cannabase is the oldest and largest online wholesale marketplace in Colorado, providing a safe and compliant platform for businesses to connect over wholesale bud, trim, extracts, seeds, and edibles. We represent over 75% of the licensees in the state in our intuitive, automated platform, streamlining wholesale purchases and aggregating the powerful market data that drives our market statewide. Cannabase will be expanding nationwide in 2017, and is the exclusive wholesale partner of BioTrackTHC and MJ Freeway point-of-sale systems, which makes Cannabase the only firm to have direct, non-self-report access to virtually the entire Colorado market’s real-time inventory.

Cannabis companies have a unique responsibility to shape this growing industry to be socially responsible and advocate for it to be treated fairly. How does Cannabase help work toward that goal for the greater good of the cannabis industry?

Cannabase was founded on the principle that legal cannabis was a statewide experiment, and the health of the industry was critical to that experiment being considered a success. As a result, we’ve treated compliance, transparency, and integrity as non-negotiable cornerstones of our company’s evolution and product development. We’re disciplined in our vetting of licensed businesses and ensuring that anyone using our product has a valid license with their state and uses the site appropriately. Similarly, we’re passionate about supporting industry groups like NCIA that are doing amazing work for the future of our industry. We believe that investing in industry groups is as important as ever, especially in light of the changing political climate.

What kind of challenges do you face in the industry and what solutions would you like to see?

We still see the ramifications of the overarching federal limitations and restrictions – primarily 280E (which squeezes capital industry-wide) and lack of banking. These roadblocks impede progress for all cannabis businesses, and make it more difficult for ancillary businesses to solve the critical day-to-day challenges faced by our customers.

Why did you join NCIA? What’s the best part about being a member?

We love the work NCIA does to strengthen, connect, empower, and fight for the legal cannabis industry. In the three years we’ve been in the cannabis industry, we’ve never experienced anything short of total professionalism from the staff at NCIA. It’s a group that never under-delivers, and has been a pillar for community and our community’s future. We are proud to be a part of NCIA and look forward to seeing what 2017 brings!

Note: NCIA member profiles highlight members and stories within our cannabis industry community. They do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of specific products or services by NCIA.

Member Spotlight: THC Design

To kick off 2017, we’re highlighting NCIA Member THC Design, whom you may have met as a sponsor of some of our Quarterly Cannabis Caucus events in 2016. Seth Hilsabeck, the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of Research & Development, tells us a bit more about THC Design, a family-oriented cannabis cultivation company based in California, and what they’ve been up to as a company since launching publicly in 2014.

NCIA Member Member Since:
June 2016

Tell us about your background in cannabis and why you joined the team at THC Design?

Seth Hilsabeck, COO & Head of R&D

President/Owner Ryan Jennemann and I both grew up in Oklahoma and have been close friends since grade school. Both of us have had a fondness and passion for cannabis and its many efficacies since being teenagers. Ryan was lucky enough to be taught to grow by his father in their backyard between their tomato plants. Ryan witnessed his father suffer from chronic migraines for as long as he can remember. With little to no access to safe cannabis, Ryan’s father was forced to continue managing his pain with opioid prescription drugs which ultimately lead to his death at the age of 47. Determined to prevent other families from suffering through similar tragedies, Ryan moved to California to spread his wings as an advocate and cultivator in the medicinal cannabis movement.

I was back home quietly using cannabis to alleviate the symptoms of my cerebral palsy. I soon began to take notice of the new legal movements in Colorado, quickly making new friends in the industry. Ryan and I were suddenly reunited back in Oklahoma in late 2013 at a funeral for a close friend of ours who had passed away. We quickly began comparing notes and talking of our passions for the future of cannabis. Soon after, I moved out to California to help with publicly launching THC Design with Ryan in Los Angeles.

What unique value does THC Design offer to the cannabis industry?

We aim to set the standard for advanced cultivation practices and techniques while taking steps to create a self-sustainable operation via renewable energy resources. By partnering with leading scientists in various fields, THC Design hopes to break new ground in the cannabis industry. We are committed to making scientific advances in identifying the roles of not only THC and CBD, but also the dozens of other compounds in cannabis that can potentially benefit patients. This will help us breed better plants that can acutely treat diseases and ailments, all while producing safer quality medicine year in and year out.

Cannabis companies have a unique responsibility to shape this growing industry to be socially responsible and advocate for it to be treated fairly. How does THC Design help work toward that goal for the greater good of the cannabis industry?

THC Design team, Beach Clean-Up with Surf Rider

Building a community and contributing our voice to the cannabis industry is extremely important to our THC Design Family. We support national and local advocacy groups such as NCIA, CCIA, and Americans for Safe Access to address legalization, access, and research of cannabis. We work closely with lawmakers and policy writers to ensure fairness in the ongoing organization and regulation of cannabis in California. Reaching out to the community is a huge part of who we are. Last year we worked with Surf Rider Foundation for a beach clean-up, Midnight Mission to help with their lunch service, and afterwards we hit the streets and passed out over 1,500 fleece blankets to the homeless just in time for the winter chill. Many similar projects are in the pipeline for 2017.

Why did you join NCIA? What’s the best part about being a member?

Joining NCIA is very important to us so that we can remain at the forefront of one of the few national organizations for cannabis advocacy. The network of top companies and individuals involved is a vital part of our efforts to help the cannabis industry in the U.S. grow and to be respected across the globe.

Contact:

THC Design Website
THC Design Facebook
THC Design Twitter

Member Spotlight: Cannabase

VIDEO: Member Spotlight with Shift Cannabis Co.

Member Spotlight: THC Design