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TechCrunch Disrupt Goes to Pot

Rich Foreman 2015-11-11T23:00:00+00:00

The buzz at this year’s San Francisco TechCrunch Disrupt was cannabis startups. To be fair, there were hundreds of startups being showcased and I only counted 4 cannabis related endeavors – however they all managed to get showcased on the center stage.

The Big Dogg's MJ Launch

The big doobie was the launch of Snoop Dog’s Merry Jane web site which promotes the marijuana life-style. It was a little mind blowing to imagine Snoop Dog as a Tech Mogul -- but there he was: center-staged with a standing room only crowd.

A Smoke-Filled Battlefield

The winner of the $50K Startup Battlefield was Agrilyst which developed a technology to help promote indoor farming. To be fair, they never stated that it was specifically for cannabis but rather they stated that their system is meant for growing indoor fruits and vegetables. But when questioned, Agrilyst CEO, Allison Kopf, admitted their system could be used for growing indoor cannabis.

The runner up of Startup Battle field was actually a cannabis startup, Green Bits, which developed a point of sales system for cannabis retailers. The fourth cannabis company showcased was Leaf which developed a high tech system that allows users to grow pot at home.

Next year, I expect to see more marijuana startups at major tech conference. The cannabis market is a budding industry but I do see rapid growth as more and more states legalized pot in one form or another.

    About the Author

    Rich Foreman

    Rich Foreman is the founder of KidneyLuv which develops solutions for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. He is also the COO of IGH Naturals. Previously, as founding CTO, Rich led the team that developed the CordicoShield / CordicoFire Wellness App. Cordico was honored with the Sacramento Innovation Award in 2021. After achieving a 7 digit ARR, Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020. Rich has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington, an MPA from Troy State University and was an officer in the U.S. Navy. Rich co-authored his book, "Tap into the Mobile Economy." Rich's blog was listed in Top 20 Marketing Mobile Blogs of 2014. He has been featured on KCRA3, NEWS10, 1170 Tech AM PowerDrive, Business Radio Money 105.5, SiliconIndia, the Sacramento Business Journal, and the Sacramento Bee. Rich is also the Founding Director of the Sacramento Chapter of Startup Grind and served a term as Utility Commissioner for the City of Folsom. Rich is a regular contributor to TechWire.net and StartupSac.com. Rich was the Co-founder of Apptology which was named Small Business of the Year in 2014 by the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber.