Freedom To Buy

Today's guest Steve Bosack, President and CEO of Guardians Credit Union, takes us through the unique structure of credit unions, which allows for traditional banking products that do not hike up prices to turn a profit, unlike traditional banks. As the CEO of a Credit Union that facilitates everything from armored car services to financial advisory services to the Cannabis Industry, Bosack champions the delicate balance between...

The cannabis industry is unfolding with high growth and emerging complexities, drawing parallels with the dynamism observed in traditional financial markets. Seasoned Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager Tim Seymour shares his insights into the world of cannabis investments, bringing to light the intricacies and promise of a rapidly evolving industry.

In the conversation, Tim Seymour unpacks the complexities and opportunit...

The cannabis industry, while fraught with regulatory challenges and financial hurdles, continues to grow and innovate, particularly on the fronts of retail and delivery services. The inability to process credit transactions remains a critical bottleneck in cannabis delivery services. The CEO of Eaze, Cory Azzalino, joins us today to talk about how Pivoting from technology to comprehensive retail services has been pivotal for Eaze&#...

Education is crucial in the cannabis industry to navigate the risks and challenges of banking cannabis. In this episode of the Freedom to Buy podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sundie Seefried, the CEO and President of Safe Harbor Financial. Sundie emphasized the need to educate both industry participants and regulators about the unique challenges and risks of banking in the cannabis industry. With close to 40 years of e...

One of the biggest obstacles in the cannabis industry is the messy nature of the data. Today's guest, Kris Walker, the co-founder, president, and chief commercial officer of Hoodie Analytics, talks about overcoming data challenges in the cannabis industry. Without standardized barcodes or industry-wide governance, the same product can be listed in multiple ways, making it difficult to organize and analyze the data. However, Hoo...

The federal prohibition on cannabis has created unique challenges for the cannabis industry. Insurance carriers are hesitant to enter the market due to the regulatory complexities and limited historical data. Today's guest, Frank Costa, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of World Insurance, tells us about the Emerging Cannabis Insurance Market and how his company is navigating those challenges. Recognizing the potential of the...

As the cannabis industry continues to evolve, it's important to know how to navigate the complexities of licensing and business operations. Our guest today, Sarah Gullickson, CEO of the Cannabis Business Advisor, takes us through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the cannabis industry as a whole. Sarah explains how market saturation, pricing, and the ability to establish a strong brand presence are key factors...

Zoning and entitlement are important aspects of the cannabis industry, making real estate experience an extremely useful tool. To help us better understand this we are joined by Jason Vedadi, CEO of Story Cannabis. Throughout his career, Jason has built many successful dispensaries, including Harvest Health and Recreation and Oasis Cannabis. Jason explains how his background in real estate played a crucial role in understanding the...

On today's episode we learn about the importance of recognizing the right opportunities and capitalizing on them in the world of corporate finance. Our guest, Seth Yakatan, has sold 22 companies, started ten, and raised over 1 billion for startups. Seth joins us today to discuss the current landscape of banking, DC, and private equity, and how recent failures have impacted the ability to raise capital. With Seth having over 30 ...

On today's episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Paula Savchenko, the founding partner of Cannacore Group and PS Law Group. Paula's expertise lies in competitive licensing and compliance in the cannabis industry on a multi-state level. Paula's journey into cannabis law began during her time at an administrative law firm, where she focused on regulatory compliance and licensing for various industries. Intrigued b...

On today's episode we speak to CEO at Shadow Foundry, James Song. James is a behavioral economist and pioneer in distributed ledger technology. He started a hedge fund in New York City and achieved impressive returns before getting involved in private equity in Myanmar. In today's rapidly evolving world, technology has become an integral part of our lives, transforming various industries and sectors. One such technology tha...

Leah Heise, of Gemini Twin Consulting, is an experienced C-suite veteran in the cannabis industry. She has had several career successes, including building and selling her own dispensary and helping Ascend Wellness Holdings go public. Gemini Twin Consulting, Leah Heise's consulting firm, helps early-stage companies scale and overcome operational challenges. Since Leah entered the cannabis industry as a patient, she discusses fi...

In today's podcast, we have a special guest, Adam Stettner, the CEO of Fundcana, a leading provider of liquidity and financing solutions in the legal cannabis industry. Adam shares his insights and experiences in navigating the challenges of funding in the cannabis sector and sheds light on how Fundcana is revolutionizing financing for cannabis businesses.

When asked about the initial capital-raising process for Fundcana, Adam e...

Scott Jordan, founder and CEO of the Alternative Finance Network, joins us on the Freedom to Buy Podcast to discuss his journey into cannabis lending and the challenges and opportunities in the industry. Scott shares how he got started in the cannabis industry, his experience with lending to cannabis businesses, and the current state of cannabis lending. 

He also discusses the impact of taxes and regulations on the industry and the ...

In today's episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Kelly Brown, a partner at Patriot Financial private equity firm, with over 30 years of experience in banking and financial services. Kelly's journey in the industry has been nothing short of remarkable, from founding First Wisconsin Bank and Trust Company to establishing the American Deposit Management Company (ADM). In this thought-provoking discussion, we explore ...

In recent years, the cannabis industry has experienced significant growth and legalization across various states in the United States. However, despite this progress, cannabis businesses continue to face challenges when it comes to accessing banking services. The federal illegality of cannabis has led many financial institutions to shy away from serving this industry due to regulatory concerns and reputational risks. In this episod...

The guest in this episode is Justin Fischer, the founder & CEO of RiskScout, which focuses on providing software solutions to help financial institutions (FIs) navigate the complex world of compliance and risk management in the world of Banking. Justin discusses the value proposition that RiskScout offers how it helps FIs overcome the barriers that prevent them from effectively banking high-risk clients and how their solution s...

In this episode of the Freedom to Buy podcast, Joe Dworsky, president of retail banking at Supernet, interviews Peter Su, the director of specialty banking at Hanover Bank. Peter discusses his role in developing a cannabis banking program at Hanover Bank and the challenges involved in building such a program. He also provides insights into the current state of the cannabis banking market, the number of banks offering cannabis banki...

Zach is a CPA with over fourteen years of professional experience across multiple industries and functions. He has extensive experience in financial statement compilations, reviews, and audits, technology and financial framework implementations, deal and business structuring, due diligence, and business advisory services. He has advised clients in the crypto, cannabis, real estate, healthcare, nonprofit, fintech, media, and consume...