How Columbia Care’s Nicholas Vita built his marijuana business

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The marijuana industry is unlike any other, and it’s home to executives who have overcome federal prohibition, social stigma, draconian regulations and more obstacles to build successful companies.

To provide our audience with tips and tools to build their own companies, Marijuana Business Daily has launched an occasional video series in which leading cannabis industry executives discuss how they launched and expanded their companies.

Goldman Sachs veteran Nicholas Vita built New York-based Columbia Care into one of the most expansive cannabis companies in the world, with operations in 18 states plus Canada and Europe.

But the future didn’t seem bright when Vita co-founded Columbia Care in 2012 and opened for business a few years later in heavily regulated markets that often stifled patient registrations.

Vita chose his markets wisely, however, honing in on those where opportunities were greatest while also paying attention to customer feedback.

Vita also conserved capital, took Columbia Care public and built scientific credibility through partnerships with medical institutions.

In the video below, Vita shares what he’s learned in the past eight years about building a multistate and international cannabis company.