The country’s largest cannabis investor group held a pitch forum in Chicago.

It looked like a typical business conference in a hotel ballroom, with people in suits shaking hands and exchanging cards. But the biggest difference was that it focuses on a federally illegal substance.

“While we’re slaying stereotypes, I also want to open up and make room for the people who may fit the stereotype. I know some great people that I’ve done business with that have long hair, or hippies or all the other things that we associate with it. Because once again, the hippies keep being right,” said Troy Dayton, CEO of the ArcView Group.

Dayton was addressing a room full of marijuana industry investors. The industry is expected to be valued at $2.6 billion by the end of this year. More than 100 companies applied online to make their business pitch and only a dozen were chosen for ArcView’s forum.

Read more: Investors gather in Chicago seeking cannabis businesses | WBEZ Chicago