CanopyBoulder Co-Founder, Patrick Rea

One of the hardest things for driven people to do, is to learn when to adapt and persevere and when to move on. Today’s guest shares a few stories about how he learned those lessons.

As a young kid, he found an early passion for Soccer. It wasn’t tallent alone though, he put in the work; hours on the field in practice. Through the sport, he learned a lot about himself; he liked to see and understand the big picture. The perfect spot to get that view was Goalie!

That dedication and commitment eventually turned into Olympic prep, which further led to an invite to the Ivy League to play at Brown! On Senior day, his parents drove 14 hours to see their son play; only to see him on the bench, in favor of a younger, taller, Freshman Goalie. He was gutted. Contemplating leaving the team, he reached out to an athlete friend for guidance; the advice was simple, talk to the coach, see what he could do, needed to do, to be on and in the team. Received well, he followed that guidance, did his part, and was eventually rewarded with opportunity when the team needed him.

A number of years into professional life, working in the natural products industry, he was given a huge promotion from managing 1 line of business to 15. The workload was crushing. Days stretched into weeks, and into months. He came home every night drained. It was literally killing him. With a Mortgage, Wife, and two daughters, a driven person doesn’t just quit, but, as he noted, "If you can't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else". For him and his family, he needed to find the right vein for him.

With a background in startups, investing and mentoring, a slight pivot from Natural Supplements to the nascent Cannabis Industry was his next eon. With the synergies and success that followed, it proved to be the correct choice with the huge impact his company has had on the Cannabis Industry.

Please enjoy the Founders Journey of Patrick Rea, Co-Founder of CanopyBoulder.

Professional Summary:

In 2013, Patrick founded CanopyBoulder, a seed-stage, mentorship-driven business accelerator and investment fund focused on data, fintech, software, and IoT in the cannabis industry as well as hemp/CBD businesses. At CanopyBoulder, Patrick raised five accelerator funds and invested in 115 companies in the cannabis industry.

Prior to CanopyBoulder, Patrick spent 15 years in the natural products industry in roles including M&A, strategic management consulting, venture finance, B2B media, e-commerce, CEO coaching, and entrepreneur mentorship.   

For five years, Patrick was a consistent presence on The Arcview Group’s selection committee and in 2014 acted as Executive Editor for ArcView’s State of the Legal Marijuana Market report.  He frequently runs panels at industry events, and has served as a judge for multiple Marijuana Business Conference & Expo Pitch Slams.

Patrick graduated with two degrees from Brown University where he played Division I soccer,  and resides in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two daughters. Patrick embraces all that Colorado has to offer to build relationships with his investors and portfolio CEOs, often inviting them to join him trail running, hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding in the foothills outside of Boulder.

Company Summary:

CanopyBoulder is the leading business accelerator in the cannabis industry. Founded in 2013, CanopyBoulder supports seed-stage cannabis startups through investment and a structured business accelerator program. Since its founding, CanopyBoulder has invested in 115 startups, launching companies like BDSA, Wurk, Front Range Biosciences, HappyCabbage and PotGuide into the cannabis industry.

Show Notes:

• Techstars Boulder Accelerator