Maybe TechCrunch doesn’t have anything against marijuana companies after all.
The tech industry website, which regularly hosts events for fledgling firms, named cannabis-related software company Green Bits as a runner-up in its Startup Battlefield competition in San Francisco. That’s no small feat, given that a thousand companies applied for a spot in the mainstream tech contest.
TechCrunch previously rejected MassRoots, the popular cannabis-themed social networking app, for a place in the competition, saying its user base isn’t significant enough. Executives with MassRoots felt that their company’s close association with cannabis culture played a role in the decision.
Green Bits produces a point-of-sale software system that allows marijuana retailers to track inventory and sales in order to remain compliant with local and state regulations.
Another pure-cannabis industry startup – Leaf – also presented at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield. Here is a link to the video of Yoni Ofir, CEO of Leaf, pitching at the event: https://youtu.be/FsHiMQDFsEY
One could argue that the first place winner is also in the cannabis industry. 😉
Agrilyst “helps greenhouse operators run their operations more efficiently by pulling in data from sensors in the greenhouse and information about crop yields and other metrics.”