Over 200 members of the cannabis business community offered up their nominations for the first-ever Laurel Awards by Cashinbis. These organizations, people, and products represent the very best of 2015 in the world of cannabis – selected solely by industry insiders.
Read on to learn about each nominated organization (in alphabetical order), and vote for your favorites here.
ArcView Group
Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group / Best Cannabis Trade Show
Founded in 2010, The ArcView Group is responsible for a number of groundbreaking ventures in the cannabis industry, including ArcView Investor Network, ArcView Market Research and the State of Legal cannabis Markets report, which is the most oft-cited market data report, and Canopy, the first seed-stage mentor-driven business accelerator.
CannaScore
Best Enterprise Software
CannaScore is the cannabis industry’s first auditing and compliance software that provides real-time scoring and analysis for the overall health of any recreational or medical cannabis dispensary, grow facility, or manufacturer.
California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA)
http://www.cacannabisindustry.org
Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group
CCIA was formed to unite the cannabis industry in California and to allow it to speak with one voice at the state and local levels. The group strives to educate and act as a resource to lawmakers regarding all areas of the cannabis industry, and is also dedicated to addressing issues related to driving under the influence, unlawful diversion to minors, and substance abuse.
CMW Media
Best Creative/Media Agency
CMW Media is a full-service public relations firm specializing in promoting innovative businesses from a broad spectrum of industries. Our clients range from publicly traded companies to those in emerging markets, with a special focus on the global cannabis industry.
Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo (CWCBExpo)
Best Cannabis Trade Show
The CWCBExpo is one of the definitive business events for the cannabis industry, held biannually in New York City and Los Angeles. Exhibitors and sponsors bring cutting-edge solutions to owners and managers of businesses in this fast-growing industry, and a wealth of opportunity and knowledge to those looking to enter the market with potential partners and investors. The expo floor features the latest technologies, solutions and resources for cannabis-related companies.
CannaBrand
Best Creative/Media Agency
Cannabrand is a full-service cannabis branding agency, dedicated to the marketing of cannabis products and services. The company partners with cannabis companies who are dedicated to making their brand image not only recognizable, but an experience for the consumer. The team at Cannabrand is at the forefront of the recreational cannabis industry with over 30 years of combined work experience, and well-versed with the regulations of cannabis advertising and marketing laws.
Dixie Elixirs
Best Infused Product Brand
Located in Denver, Dixie Elixirs & Edibles has been producing award-winning THC-infused products since 2009. What began as a single flagship product, the Dixie Elixir (a THC-infused soda), has now expanded to over 30 different products, representing the industry’s finest edibles, mints, energy shots, tinctures, and topicals.
The Emerald Cup, Sonoma County
Best Cannabis Trade Show
The Emerald Cup is celebrating 12 years as California’s preeminent, outdoor, organic, medicinal cannabis competition. With one of the nation’s finest sampling areas, The Emerald Cup has become known as the premier destination and showplace for both cannabis tourists and Northern California organic and sustainable product brands, with many companies on-hand to discuss the latest in hemp and medical cannabis.
Flowhub
Most Disruptive Technology / Best Enterprise Software
Cannabis Product of the Year / Cannabis Company of the Year
Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO Kyle Sherman
Flowhub has developed the next generation of seed-to-sale software for the legal cannabis industry, enabling growers and dispensaries to streamline their operations and optimize their profit margins. Professional cultivators can use the NUG mobile scanning device to scan plant tags and carry out daily operations within the grow, then use the web or mobile application to confidently oversee every plant and every move that was made using the NUG.
Check out our feature on Kyle Sherman, the company’s Co-Founder and CEO, up for Entrepreneur of the Year.
Freedom Enterprises (Hashman Infused)
Best Infused Product Brand / Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO Jake Jones
Cannabis Product of the Year / Cannabis Company of the Year
Hashman Infused crafts award winning artisanal cannabis infused Chocolate Bars, Canna Drops, and Hash Caps. Hashman Infused’s products, practices, research and laboratory are setting the standard for the edible cannabis industry, with ultra clean CO2 technology, high-grade ingredients and eco-conscious practices. To ensure product safety, consistency and potency, all products are lab-tested and the test results are published on the website.
Green Bits
Most Disruptive Technology
Green Bits is the cannabis retail POS system built in partnership with cannabis retailers, focused on speed and ease of use for budtenders, accurate seed-to-sale inventory control, painless product catalog management, and secure-yet-flexible cash management. A firm believer in open-source development, Green Bits pushes out updates frequently in response to customer demands and changing regulatory needs.
High There!
Best Consumer App
High There! is one of the leading social connectivity apps for the cannabis community. With over 40,000 mobile downloads, High There! connects recreational and medical cannabis users for dating, socialization and shared experiences in the 23 states where cannabis is legal.
The Innovation Agency
Best Creative/Media Agency
The Innovation Agency is one of the leading marketing, advertising and communications companies in the cannabis industry, with proven, award-winning work for major clients both inside and outside the cannabis space.. The agency’s cannabis clients have been featured in hundreds of articles, television news programs, radio interviews and feature stories, and have become the leading brands in their niche.
IVXX
Best Infused Product Brand / Cannabis Product of the Year
IVXX is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terra Tech Corp that produces medical cannabis extracted products for regulated medical cannabis dispensaries throughout California.
Keef Cola
Best Infused Product Brand
Born in Colorado, Keef Cola and all of its products are intended to provide a breath of fresh air into the world of medicine. Keef Cola infuses each product with a dose of Vitamin C and B-3-6-12 along with a healthy amount of regulated THC.
Kind Financial
Best Enterprise Software / Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO David Dinenberg
Cannabis Product of the Year / Cannabis Company of the Year
KIND provides financial technology solutions for cultivators, dispensaries, and regulatory agencies in the cannabis industry to facilitate safe and secure transactions that are in compliance with the rules, regulations, laws and guidelines governing cannabis-related businesses.
KIND’s seed-to-sale cannabis tracking and compliance platform, Agrisoft, integrates seamlessly with Kind’s cash-management and order-taking kiosk as well as KIND Pay – KIND’s convenient and secure platform for cash-free mobile payments and customer loyalty programs. Together, the KIND platform provides an end-to-end solution to close the loop between cannabis-related businesses and financial institutions.
Check out our feature on David Dinenberg, the company’s Founder and CEO, up for Entrepreneur of the Year.
Kush Bottles
Cannabis Company of the Year
Kush Bottles is the leader in providing certified child-resistant and customized packaging solutions. The company offers bottles, containers, and cannabis-related products in all states that permit adult-use or medical marijuana, as well as in Canada. With over 100 million bottles sold, the company is respected for their premium quality, exceptional customer service, quick deliveries, and innovative solutions.
Leafly
Best Consumer App
Leafly is a leading online information and education resource for cannabis consumers. Through Leafly, millions of visitors per month research strains of cannabis that will best meet their needs, access user-generated reviews of more than 800 cannabis strains and thousands of dispensaries, and follow news and culture content intended for everyone from beginning medical cannabis patients to the sophisticated connoisseur.
Loud Cannabis
Best Consumer App
One of the Green Exchange, Inc.’s latest developments, Loud Cannabis, is the world’s first HIPAA-compliant mobile app that connects cannabis growers directly to patients in order to facilitate delivery of farm-to-table fresh medical cannabis. This newcomer takes the “Uber-ization of cannabis” to a new level by allowing cultivators to get in on the growing on-demand consumer market.
Mary’s Medicinals
http://www.marysmedicinals.com
Best Infused Product Brand
Mary’s Medicinals is a wellness company innovating at the intersection of engineering and horticulture. Best known as the developer and exclusive distributor of the award-winning Transdermal Cannabis Patch, Mary is transforming how people view and utilize cannabis, developing products that maximize the benefits of cannabinoids, terpenes and other plant nutrients for optimum patient care.
MassRoots
Best Consumer App
MassRoots is a semi-anonymous social network for cannabis lovers worldwide; a judgment-free zone where like-minded people can freely share their cannabis experiences. With over half a million users, it’s one of the largest and most active platforms for cannabis consumers.
Meadow
Most Disruptive Technology / Best Enterprise Software
Best Consumer App / Cannabis Company of the Year
Meadow Care has created an on-demand delivery platform that allows California patients to shop online for medical cannabis from the comfort of home. Patients place an order via mobile device and receive a delivery from a top-tier, compliant dispensary within one hour.
MJ Business Conference & Expo
http://www.mjbizconference.com
Best Cannabis Trade Show
Produced by Marijuana Business Daily, the Conference is both the oldest and largest national event for the now $3 billion cannabis industry. This year’s expo in Las Vegas marked its 4th year in operation.
MJ Freeway
Best Enterprise Software
MJ Freeway is the solution for marijuana producers, processors, infused product manufacturers, and retailers. The company has its own seed-to-sale tracking software that manages every plant, gram, and dollar for cannabis businesses. Founded in 2010 by a team of career software and IT professionals, the industry-leading technology provides patent-pending inventory control and grow management applications, with unlimited remote technical support.
Medical Marijuana, Inc.
http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com
Cannabis Product of the Year: Real Scientific Hemp Oil (RSHO)
Real Scientific Hemp Oil is an award-winning, concentrated, natural hemp oil derived from non-GMO hemp plants grown on family farms, made by Medical Marijuana, Inc., the first publicly held company vested in the cannabis and industrial hemp space in America. The company was the first to develop a significant standardized manufacturing pipeline for CBD-containing products. It was also the first national and international distribution company fully focused on cannabis, and now ships to more than 45 countries through its subsidiary HempMeds.
National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA)
http://www.thecannabisindustry.org
Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group / Best Cannabis Trade Show
NCIA is the only national trade association advancing the interests of the legitimate and responsible cannabis industry. Our industry supports tens of thousands of jobs, tens of millions in tax revenue, and billions in economic activity in the United States. NCIA is leading the unified and coordinated campaign to ensure this emerging sector is treated fairly under federal law.
New West Summit
Best Cannabis Trade Show
Dubbed the “TechCrunch Disrupt” of the cannabis industry, New West Summit’s expertly curated, two-day, 15-panel conference and exhibition included over 30 exhibitors, 50 speakers, and 1,000 attendees. The Summit forecasted legalization in 2016, funding trends, the next crop of mobile apps, the technologies disrupting cultivation, extraction and vaporization, intellectual property, media and marketing, and more.
National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)
Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group
NORML’s mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable.
PAX 2 Vaporizer
Cannabis Product of the Year
Founded in 2007 by two Stanford Design Masters program graduates and headquartered in San Francisco, PAX Labs fuses applied design principles with technology, producing innovative premium vaporizers that provide a cleaner, modern alternative to smoking. PAX 2 is one of the most pocketable and premium loose-leaf vaporizers on the market, revolutionizing the vaping industry and offering consumers a simple smoking alternative.
Potbox
Cannabis Product of the Year
Founded in 2015, Potbox is a premium, subscription-based service that delivers the highest-quality, most ethically-grown cannabis to registered patients in the Bay Area and Los Angeles on a monthly basis, complete with suave, high-end packaging.
Sage Analytics Luminary Beacon
Most Disruptive Technology
The Luminary Beacon by Sage Analytics is a potency measurement system that enhances the current state of potency profiling of Total THC, THCA, Total CBD, CBDA and CBD content by providing rapid, accurate measurements, field portability, convenience and affordability to the entire cannabis ecosystem. This desktop device mitigates inconveniences of potency testing by delivering accurate, spectroscopy-based measurement for real-time, on-site use.
Stock Pot Images
Best Creative/Media Agency / Cannabis Company of the Year
Stock Pot Images is the first stock photo agency to specialize exclusively in cannabis-related imagery, featuring rights-managed and royalty-free photography and illustration. The company’s selection reaches far beyond the small number of stereotypical images currently offered by major stock agencies. Stock Pot Images targets healthcare, ad and branding agencies, as well as corporate and emerging industries that will soon need cannabis images to service a new market of users.
Terra Tech Corp
Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO Derek Peterson / Cannabis Company of the Year
Terra Tech Corp., through its several wholly-owned subsidiaries, specializes in controlled environment agricultural technology solutions, cultivating a premier brand of local and sustainably grown hydroponic produce sold through major grocery stores, developing medical cannabis businesses throughout Nevada, and producing medical cannabis extracted products for regulated medical cannabis dispensaries throughout California.
Theraplant
Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO Ethan Ruby / Cannabis Company of the Year
Theraplant is a Connecticut State-licensed medical cannabis producer, dedicated to helping the state’s qualifying patients live and feel better through the wholesale production of medical cannabis products of the highest quality.
In 2000, Theraplant’s CEO and founder, Ethan Ruby, was struck in a crosswalk by a car that ran a red light, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Despite numerous surgeries and intense rehabilitation, he continued to suffer pain and complications, and was prescribed numerous prescription drugs, leading to undesirable side effects and the risk of physical addiction. After thought and consultation with his father, a pediatrician, and his mother, a physical therapist, Ethan finally decided to try medical cannabis, with life-changing success. Ethan has made it his life’s work to help ensure that the unique benefits of medical cannabis are made accessible to other qualified patients like himself.
Jane
Most Disruptive Technology / Best Consumer App
Jane is a complete cash management solution for medical and recreational cannabis retailers. The company’s mission is to empower cannabis retailers with the financial services tools they need to grow their business, while fulfilling the desire of today’s consumers for greater control over their shopping experience. The Jane self-service kiosk was developed by a team with over 75 years of combined experience in payments, kiosks and cannabis to bring financial maturity to the marijuana industry.
Wana Brands
Best Infused Product Brand
Wana Brands leads Colorado’s edibles and medical cannabis industry in quality, consistency and potency. Since 2010, Wana has made cannabis-infused products, including a full line of edibles, custom hash, vape oil, and now WanaCapsxr, a family of extended release cannabis capsules that provide medicinal benefits for up to 12 hours.
Women Grow
Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group
With more than 30 active chapters from coast to coast, Women Grow is a national network dedicated to educating, empowering and connecting women in the cannabis industry through monthly networking events and national conferences that shine a spotlight on aspiring and established women industry leaders. The organization welcomes women entrepreneurs at all stages of business development from within the many sectors of the industry including cultivation, sales, advocacy, investment and ancillary businesses such as legal advocacy and representation, medicine, and marketing.
There’s no question that each brand brings a unique and polished new angle to the space, representing the very best in the world of cannabis business.
