In a tight labor market, so-called vertical labor marketplaces that zoom in on one industry, like nursing or hospitality, are drawing funding. Trusted Health, a healthcare staffing platform, raised $149 million in funding in November, for example. Seasoned, a hiring platform for restaurant workers, closed on nearly $19 million at roughly the same time. Investors […]
How one founder is taking on the customer knowledge gap in the cannabis industry
The co-founder of Dutchie, Ross Lipson, talks to Jordan and Darrell about stepping into the cannabis space, taking the hits as they come and growing a business in a highly regulated and brand new industry. His positive outlook on business and life may be contagious, so pessimists, nihilists and fatalists beware. Take our listener survey […]
Gift Guide: Give the gift of cannabis with these 9 high-tech smoking devices
Cannabis is quickly going to the nerds. As it gradually becomes legal around the world, startups have responded with innovative products from laser-powered water bongs to CNC machined vapes to AI-powered herb grinders. Got a friend who wants to get a bit fancy with it? Give’m the gift of high-tech consumption. Please consume responsibility. Throughout […]
TechCrunch+ roundup: 5 pitch deck slides to fix, initial viable product, MLOps acceleration
This is a fantastic time to found a startup, but unless you plan to bootstrap it, you will still need to go through the laborious exercise of crafting a pitch deck.
The cannabis industry is booming, but for many Black Americans the price of entry is steep
Social equity rules can reduce barriers to entry for communities most affected by discriminatory drug lawsWhile Bernard Noble sat in a Louisiana jail riding out a 13-year sentence for possession of 2.8 grams of marijuana, cannabis legalization and decr…
‘Swazi gold’: grandmothers in Eswatini growing cannabis to make ends meet
In the poverty-stricken kingdom, an older generation rely on growing marijuana to feed children orphaned by Aids epidemicIn Nhlangano, in the south of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), the illegal farming of the mountainous kingdom’s famous “Swazi gold” i…
Cannabis e-commerce startup Jane Technologies raises $100M after stellar growth
Don’t call Jane Technologies the Amazon of weed. Instead, think of Jane Technologies as the Shopify of weed, and it’s an important distinction. While other startups attempt to build a destination marketplace like Amazon, Jane Technologies is trying something more powerful. The company is building the backends for dispensaries that are quickly taking their cannabis […]
Trym adds crop steering to its cannabis seed-to-sale platform
Crop steering turns growing carrots or cannabis from an art into a science. Indoor growers have long turned to this practice to improve yields, which involves precisely controlling and manipulating three variables: light, climate and irrigation. If tweaked properly, growers can force taller plants, larger flowers and quicker grow times. Today Trym is announcing it’s […]
Eaze to become America’s largest cannabis delivery service after buying Green Dragon
Eaze this week announced significant plans to expand into one the U.S.’s largest cannabis delivery services. One of the original on-demand cannabis delivery services, the Bay Area-based company is set to acquire cannabis retailer and cultivator Green Dragon, which operates in the hot markets of Colorado and Florida. Combined with existing operations in California and […]
Canadian soldier guilty of drugging comrades with cannabis cupcakes
Sandra Cogswell convicted on eight counts of administering noxious substance and one of behaving in a disgraceful mannerA Canadian soldier accused of drugging comrades with cannabis-laced cupcakes during a live-fire training exercise has been found gui…