Asian Cannabis Roundtable

??????The U.S. cannabis industry raised approximately $890M in debt and equity capital YTD through October 2024! (Interlude/explanation-Prepping for our panel MJBizCon and our moderator, Frank Colombo, CFA, from Viridian Capital Advisors came prepared with notes! His notes/analysis was so good, I asked for his permission to turn his prep notes into a LinkedIn post. So all these nuggets are attributed to him! Check out more of Frank 's work at Viridian Capital Advisors! Apologies for the interlude - but you know, thumb stopper...) ●98% of that was debt capital, and approximately 82% of that debt was earmarked for refinancing of existing debt ○Debt has been over half of all capital raises in every year since 2020 with only a dip to 47% in 2021. ●For all intents and purposes, Debt is the only game in town ○Strangely, it is the very promise of legislative/regulatory reform like S3, SAFER, etc that has locked up the equity market. [This is certainly not what Viridian Capital Advisors projected for the year. We believed that as the timeline toward rescheduling grew nearer, equity prices would begin to drift upward and MSOs would take advantage of an opportunity to raise equity and pay down some debt, repairing balance sheets that had become overleverged Investors, however, having been fooled too many times are taking a “we will believe it when we see it” approach. Recently, one of the key catalysts for overall industry growth, Florida, failed to materialize, dragging prices back to nearly where they were before HHS first announced their S3 decision in August 2023. Pending, some new catalyst materializing, no one wants to issue equity. Companies find current prices to be below intrinsic value and dilutive. And no CFO wants to be the guy that raises equity at a low price only to have some catalyst like S3, SAFER etc pump his prices well over where he issued stock. From an investors point of view, any company raising equity in this environment must be considered desperate and the price has to be extra cheap.] Want to hear more? Come check out this panel discuss this topic at MJBizCon! (link in comments)

Had a great time speaking to the students at Offutt School of Business of Concordia College today. ???? We chatted about my journey to America. I shared about my entrepreneurial journey on building Kota Botanics ? , the cross-cultural challenges in the business environment, and in the society that I’ve faced and encountered. Lots of great questions asked and answered. It’s exciting to see younger generations eager to learn about the world, the different cultures, and the interests around cannabis business. Thank you for having me at your class today, Prof. Marcia Scarpin ! ??

Continuing with High Five, a dynamic series intended to spark dialogue, share knowledge, and illuminate the ever-growing cannabis industry and its leaders. This release features Peter Su, CTP, CCBP, CCCE, GRCP, GRCA, IDPP, ACBP, CBE a banking executive with over 20+ years of leadership experience in sales, marketing and RM roles in banking and financial services. He has been a part of 3 cannabis banking programs as team lead and acted as a consultant to dozens more all around the country. This innovative series features a set of five thought-provoking questions posed to prominent figures within the cannabis sector. The aim of High Five is to get a quick glance into the experiences and insights of cannabis industry leaders, fostering a rich exchange of ideas and strategies. By asking five targeted questions, Beard Bros Media seeks to highlight both the challenges and opportunities within the cannabis industry, offering a platform for leaders to share their valuable perspectives. Click the link below to read Peters full answers. https://lnkd.in/gdt8RvqU

Fun fact! Turns out LinkedIn has a character limit on letters you can add to your name.... Ask me how I know! (h/t to Brett for the pic)

It's that time of year again.... ?? ?? ?? Come raise a glass to our roots and our future in the Cannabis industry!