innovators and investors
CNvest: Terps and Tech
Hilton San Jose at the McEnery Convention Center
MONDAY.APRIL.9.2018
A new kind of cannabis industry investment event
Working with leading cannabis investors and industry influencers, CNvest will identify 16 of the most compelling and innovative startups for a one-day showcase that will also offer attendees opportunities to meet with entrepreneurs, explore hot sectors of this expanding market, and identify its emerging trends. CNvest is a fun, educational event with ample opportunities for networking.
The CNvest: Terps and Tech investor event will focus on cannabis science and technology startups, or companies whose primary products or services are science or technology based.
DATE
Monday, April 9, 2018
LOCATION
Hilton San Jose
at the McEnery Convention Center
300 Almaden Boulevard
San Jose, CA 95113
CO-LOCATED WITH
The most comprehensive cannabis science expo in the United States
STARTUPS SELECTED
TO PRESENT
STARTUP
PITCH ARENA
INDUSTRY SECTOR
PANEL DISCUSSIONS
NETWORKING
WITH PEERS
The 2018 CNvest: Terps and Tech Finalists
Meet the sixteen finalists chosen to present at the CNvest: Terps and Tech. Applications were received from startups seeking funding, located from Southern California to Eastern Canada and all across North America. Entries were analyzed by cannabis industry editors, reporters and influencers whose background make them uniquely qualified to uncover aspects of businesses that could help them thrive in the complex cannabis market. On April 9 at the San Jose Hilton, each finalist will pitch an audience of accredited investors and media and one lucky winner will be selected by investors in the audience to receive a $10,000 prize.
Learn more about participating companies on the CNvest Press Kit Portal.
CNvest: Terps and Tech Judges
The CNvest Program
08:00 am - 09:00 am
09:00 am - 09:15 am
09:15 am - 09:45 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
CNvest Welcome and Opening Remarks - John Sidline, Principal at Canna Newswire
Morning Featured Guest Speaker
Ben Larson
General Partner
Backplane Capital
09:45 am - 10:05 am
Panel 1: Cannabis Manufacturing
Kristen Yoder
Cannabis Industry Advisor
Soil to the Oil
Moderator
10:05 am - 10:45 am
First Start-Up Pitches: Cannabis Manufacturing (Extracts, Concentrates and Strains)
10:45 am - 11:15 am
11:15 am - 11:35 am
30-Minute Break
Panel 2: Cannabis Cultivation
Greg Zeman
Associate Editor and Co-Author, “Beyond Buds Next Generation”
Cannabis Now Magazine
Moderator
11:35 am - 12:15 pm
Second Start-Up Pitches: Cannabis Cultivation (From Small Scale to Commercial)
12:15 pm - 01:15 pm
01:15 pm - 01:30 pm
01:30 pm - 02:00 pm
LUNCH
Welcome Back Remarks - Karen Blondell, Principal at Canna Newswire
Afternoon Featured Guest Speaker
Sumit Mehta
CEO
Mazakali
02:00 pm - 02:20 pm
Panel 3: Consuming Cannabis
Debra Borchardt
CEO & Editor-in-Chief
Green Market Report
Moderator
02:20 pm - 03:00 pm
Third Start-Up Pitches: Consuming Cannabis (Smoke, Vapor, Consumables, Topicals)
03:00 pm - 03:30 pm
03:30 pm - 03:50 pm
30-Minute Break
Panel 4: Ancillary Technology
Javier Hasse
Mainstream Media Cannabis Reporter and Author, “Start Your Own Cannabis Business”
Benzinga, High Times, Entrepreneur
Moderator
03:50 pm - 04:30 pm
Fourth Start-Up Pitches: Ancillary Technology (Entertainment, Sales and Marketing, Security)
04:30 pm - 04:50 pm
04:50 pm - 05:00 pm
20-Minute Break and Audience Choice Voting
Audience Choice Winner and $10,000 Prize Presentation
Featured CNvest: Terps and Tech Speakers
Ben Larson, General Partner at Backplane Capital
Ben Larson is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and startup adviser based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a General Partner at Backplane Capital, an early stage venture fund investing in the cannabis industry, and he Co-Founded Gateway, the premier cannabis startup accelerator. Additionally, Ben is a Director and Mentor for the Founder Institute, where he formerly managed global operations and helped grow the program into over 100 cities around the world. He’s also active on several boards inside and out of the cannabis industry and travels around the world speaking to audiences of all sizes while advising early stage companies of all industries. He’s an active Mentor and Senior Advisor to the non-profit Youth Business USA and a Board Member of Playworks. Ben was recently named to the 40 Under 40 Class of 2018 by the San Francisco Business Times.
Sumit Mehta, CEO of Mazakali
In addition to his role as CEO of Mazakali, Sumit Mehta is the Finance and Strategy Consultant to The Arcview Group, and Managing Partner at Emerald Ventures. Sumit has directed cannabis investments since 2014 and currently serves on Canopy's Investment Committee. A frequent speaker at investment seminars, Sumit also acts as a shark and mentor to Arcview and Canopy companies. Prior to joining the cannabis industry, Sumit spent nearly two decades in the financial capital markets across institutional sales, business development, management, research, analysis, valuation, strategy, capital introduction, institutional-level relationship management, wealth advisory, investment planning and operational consulting in domestic and overseas markets.
CNvest for Cannabis Startups
Not just a pitch slam, but an entire program developed to augment brand-building, draw attention to startups seeking funding, match startups to investor audiences interested in near-term investments in their respective business sectors, and refine their investor pitches. Startups move through a tiered judging process from application to semi-finalists to the 16 finalists that present on the CNvest stage. A startup arena allows more companies to share their business vision with investors throughout the day, while all accepted applicants will have access to other online marketing activities.
CNvest for Investors
CNvest investor events strive to give investors deeper insights into the rapidly expanding legal cannabis market, exploring the hot emerging sectors within it that possess compelling investment opportunities. At CNvest: Terps and Tech, investors will delve deeper into four cannabis science and technology industry sectors as 16 startups from among the best examples from each sector present their companies and investor pitches. The CNvest investor events give investors opportunities to interact with additional startups seeking funding and network with industry peers.
CNvest - Terps and Tech Advisory Board
MEDIA SPONSORS
