The Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference is partnering with the Mainvest crowdfunding platform to fund entrepreneurs who will compete in SparkTank® during their cannabis convention October 5th and 6th.
The name Spark Tank refers to the TV show Shark Tank. In the show entrepreneurs and small businesspeople vie for investment dollars from savvy professionals.
Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference 2023
The SparkTank® Competition will feature live crowdfunding through the Mainvest app. It will allow the audience to invest on the spot during the entrepreneur’s pitch session. An example of rockstar startups participating is Tundra Beverages. They’re an Alaskan company founded by a couple from the Iñupiat tribe.
“This is revolutionary and the first time ever. A cannabis conference business pitch contest has given attendees (unaccredited investors) the ability to support & invest in real-time!” said Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference co-founder Gary George. “Took us 3 years to work out the details of this partnership with Mainvest working closely with the SEC to facilitate terms that made this all possible!”
Mainvest is a crowdfunding platform that supports local small business ecosystems. It allows the community to invest directly into local small businesses while providing access to capital on friendly terms for entrepreneurs.
The unique source of access to capital is notable because most banks will not finance a cannabis-related business. They believe it’s a great risk since cannabis remains federally legal. The issue is especially difficult. The alternative of finding and pitching private individuals is an intense process not for the weak of heart.
Starting a business in the cannabis industry is extremely expensive and cost-prohibitive for the average person. Funding is said to all but has dried up this past year in the cannabis industry. So most entrepreneurs don’t have the means to finance a business.
After hosting several Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conferences, husband and wife co-founders Gary and Marie George have become leaders in the New Jersey cannabis conference space. They are on a mission to ensure social equity entrepreneurs get a fair shake. The Georges started The Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference business boot camp and networking event to give them a leg up.
The Georges are serial entrepreneurs and residents of Piscataway in Middlesex County.
Upcoming New Jersey Cannabis Convention
The Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference team has been putting on shows for several years. Over the years, they have featured many leading New Jersey cannabis industry figures like entrepreneur and advocate Tara “Misu” Sargente, and noted accountant Harry Carpenter, among many others.
In addition, various entrepreneurs who made progress with their CBD and Delta-8 cannabis companies have been featured both on the stage and among those exhibiting. Small businesspeople, women, and minority entrepreneurs successful in other state-legal cannabis markets were also highlights of past Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conferences.
Unlike other cannabis conventions, which are more convention floor-centric with many booths, the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference seeks to bring in more speakers from across the country to educate New Jersey cannabis businesspeople and professionals on their experiences from the nuances of the developed state-legal cannabis markets elsewhere.
The after-parties have always been a great mix of cannabis, fun, and networking.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference persisted and held virtual cannabis conventions.
But in-person cannabis conventions are ripe for re-connecting with industry colleagues and meeting interesting new people and the fun of doing so. In addition, interesting on-stage speakers are easier to approach and connect with in real life.
(Full disclosure: this is an advertorial purchased as part of an ad package.)
