Pitch Deck: Top 5 Finalists

Top 3 turned into Top 5!

With the solid competition and close scoring, the Pitch Deck judges decided to bring the Top 5 competitors – instead of just the Top 3 – to NYC for the live round of final presentations on May 18.

The Top 5 who will present in the final round are (in alphabetical order):

ChiGrow, Compact Comforts, Grasse, High Society NYC, and WhiteboxTHC.

ChiGrow

An experiential and curated cannabis retail space in Brooklyn with a strong visual brand focused on rethinking , redefining, and setting the bar for progressive cannabis culture. Led by women of color, the founders see much of their customer base as first-time users who are likely to be professional women. They will give priority to diverse suppliers such as minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses. Their vision is to be the cannabis brand at the forefront of innovation, equity, and social justice.

Compact Comforts

A dispensary in the South Bronx founded by a woman of color that focuses on BIPOC and women-led brands. The vision of Compact Comforts is to provide quality products and a better understanding of Cannabis as a whole to new and experienced users while shining a light on brands from women and communities of color. Long term they aim to contribute to an informed and equitable cannabis market nationwide through education, advocacy, and combatting stigmas.

Grasse

Founded by two brothers from East Asia who have a brand that is already established in Oregon and want to expand to the New York market. They both went to business school in Albany and want to base their operation in the Hudson River Valley. Grasse products are solvent-less flower and other products using extraction methods from Grasse, France, the perfume capital of the world. The product line also gives a nod to their family’s history of making biri in India. The brothers are passionate about ending the stigma around cannabis by highlighting the rich history & culture in South East Asia.

High Society NYC

A cannabis lifestyle brand specializing in chef-driven edible production, located in Queens County, New York City.  Founded by five friends, the group is partially minority and woman-owned and is made up of highly successful business leaders with proven success in producing cannabis edibles, running small businesses, building a marketing empire, managing a billion-dollar financial budget and strategy, and implementing operational efficiencies and cost controls. Collectively, they bring a relentless pursuit to create the best cannabis brand, we are on a journey to help destigmatize cannabis in today’s society. Their goal is to build a community centered around embracing the individual, inclusion, and acceptance.

WhiteboxTHC

A justice- and minority-owned dispensary that will focus on retailing premium cannabis flower and processed derivatives. The partners are long-time friends who bring extensive cannabis backgrounds along with legal, restaurant ownership, and operating experience. Their vision is about transparent, fair-trade, and lab-tested premium products. With a goal of sourcing at least 50% of their supply from women- and minority-owned providers, Whitebox will showcase the stories, origin, and passion behind their suppliers. 

Read about the range of competitors.

Stay tuned to find out who takes the top place!