#187: Colin Landforce - CTO of Unrivaled Brands - Cannabis Industry 101

Colin Landforce is an entrepreneur and tactical leader with more than 10 years of experience in regulated and emerging consumer product spaces. With deep experience at the intersection of recreational cannabis and CPG, Colin’s thought leadership is widely recognized both inside and out of the cannabis industry. At Unrivaled, Colin drives process and technology innovation, enabling teams and developing proprietary B2B tools and consumer experiences.

On this episode, Chris and Colin deep dive into Colin's career beginning with how he got into the Cannabis industry and his first acquisition. They discuss the ins and out of the Cannabis world including what makes a top-shelf Cannabis brand and risks in the industry. 

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/
Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

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(01:45) - Colin’s Career and Getting Into The Cannabis Industry

(04:24) - What was your early team like as distributors?

(07:02) - Were you primarily selling bulk flower or did you convert them into edibles and oils?

(07:35) - What does it cost to make a pre-roll and then what does it wholesale and retail for?

(08:35) - What matters when you’re making deals with growers?

(10:36) - Do most growers grow outdoors or indoors?

(12:09) - Why is indoor growing harder to scale?

(13:32) - What checks and balances do growers go through in order to make sure the customer is getting the correct product?

(14:55) - How is THC measured?

(15:56) - Was there an inflection point where you wanted to grow the company and where did that happen?

(18:00) - What are ‘brands’ in cannabis?

Sticks - https://sticksrolls.com/

Cabana - https://www.leafly.com/brands/cabana

Korova - https://korovaunrivaled.com/

(19:19) - What makes a top-shelf cannabis brand?

(20:35) - How did you finance the business early on?

(22:34) - Can you get lines of credit or traditional loans?

(23:10) - Is there anything on the horizon that will make the industry more bank-friendly?

(24:28) - How do you value cannabis companies when thinking about M&A?

(25:49) - Colin's First Acquisition

(26:41) - Cannabis Extraction

(27:47) - What do your line of products look like?

(28:47) - How do you get products you can’t make yourself?

(29:14) - Colin’s Latest Acquisition & ‘Going Public’

(30:48) - What are the different asset classes in Cannabis?

(32:15) - Licensing in Cannabis

(33:12) - Medicinal vs. Recreational

(35:02) - Non-plant touching companies being allowed on the NASDAQ

(35:42) - What is your role as CTO?

(37:46) - Creating a Brand Within a Culture vs. One in an Agency

(40:14) - Who is your typical customer?

(41:29) - What are your thoughts on the boomer generation and their relationship with cannabis?

(43:22) - Is there anything that keeps you up at night or risk in the industry?

(44:24) - Is there anything on the horizon that excites you in the next 12-24 months?

(46:45) - When do you predict federal legalization?

(47:06) - Is CBD a placebo?

(49:55) - Is there anything being created in the market that can get rid of someone’s high?

(50:56) - Colin’s Experience as a Music Manager

(53:47) - Colin’s Email Hack and How To Be Better At It

(56:16) -  How can people find you?

Colin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Landforce

Podcast - Tab Talk - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tab-talk/id1587529071

The Fort is produced by Johnny Peterson & Straight Up Podcasts