Entrepreneur - 09.2019

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PL ANET 13; PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF HEADSET; PHOTOGRAPH BY GET T Y IMAGES/JOE AMON (KURVANA); PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CRESCO

Top Cannabis Companies

60 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / September 2019

Headset

HQ/ Seattle

“Be data-driven—leveraging analytics in your

decision-making—and maintain flexibility.

Regulations are changing, new licenses are being

issued, and new competitors pop up every day.”

—CY SCOTT, CEO, HEADSET

What did consumers do on 4/20? Which store locations are outper-

forming others? What are this year’s seasonal cannabis predictions?

These are the types of questions Headset, an all-in-one data analytics

platform, can answer for its customers. The company was started in

2015 by Leafly cofounder Cy Scott (center) and provides real-time

market intelligence on trends, product popularity, forecasting, demo-

graphics, and competitor performance.

Cresco Capital Partners

HQ/ Dallas

“To survive in this space, you must be able to handle

massively complex businesses. No other startup industry

has been this hyper-regulated or this limited

in capital, banking, advertising, and infrastructure.”

—CODIE SANCHEZ , MANAGING DIRECTOR,

CRESCO CAPITAL PARTNERS

Cresco Capital was founded in 2014, making it among the very first

investment funds specializing in cannabis. It now has more than

$50 million invested in every stage of the industry, from cultivation

to ancillary services. Among its most notable, if not largest, clients is

Harborside Dispensary, the first legal dispensary in the country, which

went public in Canada in June. Curiously, Cresco offices are in Texas,

a notably cannabis-unfriendly state.

Kurvana

HQ/ Corona del Mar, Calif.

“Running a cannabis company today consumes your

entire life. You have to understand science,

finance, distribution, sales, politics, regulations,

federal, state and local laws, and much more.”

—MEHRAN MOGHADDAM, CEO AND FOUNDER, KURVANA

Led by a team of acclaimed scientists and engineers, this brand

seeks to create top-notch, full-spectrum extracts with a unique

process that preserves the plant’s phytochemical fingerprint. Kur-

vana offers a variety of product lines, including ASCND THC distil-

lates and KPEN fruit and botanical THC and CBD infusions, and will

soon launch a line of hemp-derived CBD vape pens.

Planet 13 Holdings

HQ/ Las Vegas

“Let your customer speak to you, without resistance,

about their personal experience with your goods

and services. You need to welcome honest feedback.”

—DAVID FARRIS, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING, PLANET 13

Planet 13 might just be the biggest cannabis superstore on the planet,

and it’s still growing. The company opened a new, 112,000-square-

foot site and plans to expand into top-tier markets across the country.

Planet 13, which is fully licensed for cultivation and retail distribution

in Nevada, sells a variety of brands that include Medizin, TRENDI,

and Leaf & Vine.